Report: Binance Let 13 High‑Risk Accounts Move $1.7B — $144M After $4.3B US Plea

Financial Times documents reported by Cointelegraph show Binance allowed 13 flagged high‑risk accounts to process roughly $1.7 billion in crypto flows from 2021–2025, including about $144 million after Binance’s $4.3 billion US plea deal in November 2023. Internal files — KYC records, IP/device logs and transaction histories — reveal anomalous patterns: one account linked to a 25‑year‑old Venezuelan received about $177 million and changed bank details 647 times in 14 months; another account tied to a Caracas bank employee moved roughly $93 million and registered impossible IP jumps (Caracas to Osaka in under 10 hours). All 13 accounts shared suspicious markers and received about $29 million in USDT later frozen by Israeli authorities under anti‑terror laws. Transfers trace to addresses linked to Tawfiq Al‑Law (sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury) and to wallets alleged to have ties with Hizbollah and Iran‑backed Houthis. Login and device patterns suggest either account compromise or coordinated misuse; former prosecutors said the activity resembles an unlicensed money‑transmitting business. The files raise doubts about Binance’s implementation of post‑settlement controls — real‑time monitoring, enhanced due diligence and periodic customer reviews — and add regulatory and reputational pressure following founder Changpeng Zhao’s pardon and the appointment of independent monitors. Binance maintains it enforces strict compliance and zero tolerance for illicit activity. Key keywords: Binance, flagged accounts, $1.7B, $144M, plea deal, USDT, AML, sanctions.