Matthew Price, the Strategic Engagement Lead at Elliptic, has called for the U.S. government to take action to secure the release of Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance employee and former colleague of Price at IRS-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), from Nigeria. Price expressed his views during an October 3 podcast.
"In an ideal world, obviously anything the U.S. government can do to bring him home as soon as possible is what I think myself and really anyone paying attention to this wants to see happen," said Price. "I know there's been talk of potentially designating him as a detainee under the Levinson Act. I look at this as, beyond the fact that he served his country for over a decade in law enforcement and is responsible for some of the most impactful crypto investigations that have ever occurred, he's also a citizen and a taxpayer and a family man. Looking at it from that perspective, the more that can be done to bring him home as soon as possible."
According to the podcast episode of "Designated," hosted by Yaya Fanusie, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and former CIA analyst, Gambaryan was among the first U.S. law enforcement officials to investigate cryptocurrency-related crimes. He currently serves as the head of financial crime compliance at Binance and has been detained by Nigerian authorities since February. "Holding an employee, who has no decision-making authority, is completely out of bounds," Price said in the podcast. Both Price and Gambaryan have worked together at IRS-CI and Binance.
The Nigerian Lawyer reported that Gambaryan missed his court appearance on October 18 due to health issues. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Nigeria has charged him with money laundering. A prison representative informed the judge that Gambaryan "is very sick, and we will not be able to produce him in court today." Consequently, the judge postponed proceedings until October 25.
Gambaryan's bail request was denied for a second time on October 11, according to The Block. His family argued that there is "clear evidence of medical requirement" justifying his release for medical treatment. During his detention in Kuje Prison, Gambaryan has reportedly suffered from several untreated health conditions including a herniated disc, malaria, pneumonia, and tonsillitis.
CoinDesk reported that U.S. Representatives French Hill (R-Ark.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.) visited Gambaryan in prison in June. Hill described Kuje Prison as "horrible" and noted that Gambaryan had experienced significant weight loss while being denied adequate medical care for malaria and double pneumonia. Hill remarked, "We have a taskforce in Congress that is on Americans wrongfully detained abroad or held hostage. Clearly in our view, Tigran fits in that camp." He added, "We want him home and we can let Binance, his employer, deal with the Nigerians."
Price's professional background includes serving as an investigator for IRS-CI from 2009 to 2012 and again from 2017 to 2021. Between these periods he worked as a targeting officer for the CIA from 2012 to 2017. In 2021 he joined Binance as head of intelligence and investigations before becoming strategic engagement lead for Elliptic in 2023.
