- Tigran Gambaryan has issued a ‘come and get me’ plea to the new Trump administration
- Gambaryan is clearly desperate to leave Binance following eight months in a Nigerian prison last year while representing the company
- Gambaryan enjoyed notable successes under the prior Trump administration
Tigran Gambaryan, the man imprisoned in Nigeria for eight months last year, is so desperate to leave his role with Binance that he has all but begged the Trump administration to give him a job. Gambaryan, a former federal agent, recently revealed that it would be “an honor” to work in government again, where he said he did some of his most gratifying work. Gambaryan’s ‘come and get me’ plea is hardly surprising given what happened to him last year, which was chiefly due to his association with his employer rather than anything he himself had done, and he is clearly desperate to cut ties and avoid a repeat.
Gambaryan Scarred by Nigeria Experience
Gambaryan’s plight made headlines throughout 2024 when Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance was detained in Nigeria during discussions with government officials concerning allegations against Binance related to money laundering and the devaluation of Nigeria’s currency, the naira. Despite his role focusing on compliance rather than executive decision-making, Gambaryan was charged with money laundering and tax evasion.
Throughout his eight-month detention in Kuje prison, Gambaryan’s health deteriorated significantly, suffering from conditions including a herniated disc, malaria, and pneumonia. International pressure, notably from US lawmakers and human rights organizations, mounted for his release. In October 2024, a Nigerian court dropped the charges against him on medical grounds, leading to his release and return to the United States.
Prior Successes Cannot be Ignored
Prior to joining Binance in 2021, Gambaryan had a distinguished career as a criminal investigator with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, during which time he was instrumental in several high-profile cases involving cryptocurrency-related crimes. Notably, he identified two corrupt federal agents involved in the Silk Road investigation, contributed to the recovery of 650,000 bitcoins stolen from the MtGox exchange, and played a key role in locating the server behind the AlphaBay dark web market.
It seems that Gambaryan is keen to leave the private sector for the public sector again, as he explained in a less-than-coded email to Coindesk:
While I am not a political person, some of my most consequential casework occurred during the President-Elect’s previous term. If given the opportunity, it would be an honor to serve my country again and work alongside the incredible men and women in federal law enforcement who worked tirelessly to bring me back to my family.
Binance CEO Richard Teng was asked about Gambaryan’s desire to leave during an interview, where he responded that Gambaryan was still a member of our staff and that he was “not privy to his thought process” or the US administration process. It seems, however, that it is only a matter of time before Gambaryan hands in his notice and waves goodbye to the company whose reputation led to him being incarcerated in a foreign country for most of 2024.