A U.S. Department of Justice internal memo warns staff that Binance will reduce its cooperation on cryptocurrency-related cases going forward.

According to a report by The Information, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sent an internal memo to prosecutors handling digital currency cases in early June this year, warning them to expect reduced cooperation from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, in future matters. The memo was sent by Rachel Jones, the DOJ’s digital currency legal counsel, and copied to several senior prosecutors including Kevin Mosley. Mosley led the 2023 prosecution of Binance, when the DOJ accused the exchange and its founder CZ of violating the Bank Secrecy Act and money laundering. The email content reviewed by The Information shows Jones stated Binance will impose stricter new requirements on law enforcement agencies applying for asset freezes and seizures. However, Binance denied this claim in response to a request for comment. A Binance spokesperson said in a statement to The Information: “Binance’s cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies has not changed and will not change in the future. Any claim that Binance has reduced or is reducing cooperation with law enforcement is false.”