Binance's ultimate compliance, in 2019, was largely a public show, the SEC complaint continues.
The SEC alleged that Binance and Zhao violated "critical" provisions of federal security laws, including self-dealing and market manipulation, through Merit Peak Limited and Sigma Chain, both of which Zhao controlled and owned.
Merit Peak, a British Virgin Islands-based company, was one of the "earliest market makers" on Binance's U.S. platform, the SEC alleged.
"We will issue a response once we see the complaint," Zhao said on Twitter.
The defendants showed a "blatant disregard" of federal law, the SEC alleged.
Persons:
Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Binance, Binance.US
Organizations:
Securities, Exchange, Binance, SEC, CNBC, Limited, Sigma Chain, Merit, Binance's U.S, Twitter, Media
Locations:
European, The U.S, USA, U.S, VPNs, Binance.com, British Virgin Islands, Binance's