Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, has been sentenced to four months in prison for money laundering, unlicensed money transmitting and violations in Seattle, United States (US).

At a sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Richard Jones, the presiding judge, said Zhao put “Binance’s growth and profits over compliance with US laws and regulations”.

According to US officials, Zhao intentionally turned a blind eye to transactions that financed terrorism, the illegal drug trade, and child sex abuse.

“I failed here. I deeply regret my failure, and I am sorry,” Zhao told the court.

“I believe the first step of taking responsibility is to fully recognise the mistakes. Here I failed to implement an adequate anti-money-laundering programme. I realise now the seriousness of that mistake.”

The four-month sentence is lower than the three years prosecutors sought.

Prosecutors told the judge a tough sentence would send a clear signal to other would-be criminals.

“We are not suggesting that Mr. Zhao is Sam Bankman-Fried or that he is a monster,” Kevin Mosley, one of the prosecutors, said.

“But Zhao’s conduct wasn’t a mistake. This wasn’t a regulatory ‘oops.”

On November 21, 2023, Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Binance also agreed to pay more than $4 billion in fines and other penalties.

Meanwhile, Binance subsidiary in Nigeria is facing charges for illicit foreign exchange (FX) transactions.

Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s regional manager for Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, its head of financial crime compliance, were charged with tax evasion and money laundering by the federal government.

The duo were arrested and detained on February 28.

However, Anjarwalla escaped custody in March.

A United Kingdom-based Nigerian doctor, Tijion Esho, has lost his medical licences after being found guilty of giving free Botox injections in return for sex, Telegraph reports.

Esho is known for his medical opinion and commentaries on cosmetic surgery discussions on popular Television programmes, including ITV’s This Morning, BBC’s Morning Live and E4’s Body Fixers.

He was also regularly consulted on Body Fixers for E4, a channel operated by Channel 4, which aired for two seasons in 2016 and 2017 and made appearances on segments of BBC’s Morning Live until the summer of 2022.

Esho is the founder of the Esho Clinic, which also has locations in London, Liverpool, and Dubai and has a host of celebrity clients.

While appearing before a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on Monday, he confessed to an improper emotional relationship with the woman, referred to as Patient A, with whom he exchanged “inappropriate” sexual messages on Instagram.

He argued that he never had any physical sexual contact with Patient A, who provided sex services via OnlyFans and webcams.

But, an MPTS panel sitting in Manchester ruled earlier this month that Dr Esho did have sexual intercourse with Patient A at his clinic in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2021 and administered Botox free of charge.

It was reported that the tribunal also ruled that, at a consultation months earlier, he had stroked her hair and rubbed himself against her after he made inappropriate comments about the shape of her bottom.

The tribunal also established that the doctor, last year, made similar remarks to Patient A and allowed her to masturbate him.

Hence, the tribunal found Dr Esho’s fitness to practise was impaired because of his misconduct and the tribunal announced on Saturday that Esho’s name should be removed from the medical register.

The tribunal’s reasons for imposing the sanction will be released next week.

According to the Telegraph, among the “inappropriate” Instagram messages sent to Patient A between July 2019 and February 2022 was an exchange in September 2019 when he said: “What you doing to me lol. Morning Glory. Bloody has me wanting the real thing. That’s like every man’s dream.”

In November 2019 he posted: “Why you making me bulge lol. Send more, don’t be sorry lol.”

The following month, he wrote, “Lol loving the tongue” and “Ha free mls [millilitres of botox] I’d need the whole booty and more”.

Weeks later, he told her, “My God having you for a night/every night is a dream but if we do it for me I break the doctors’ code and I’d be a dead man x lol.”

The tribunal also ruled the conduct of the doctor, also known as Oluwafemi Esho, was sexually motivated but did not find Patient A to be vulnerable because of her profession.

Botox injections, according to a medical website, Cleveland, improve appearance by relaxing muscles that cause wrinkles. They also treat medical conditions, including migraines, hyperhidrosis, overactive bladder, and eye problems.

To maintain results, treatments are repeated every three to six months.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a male passenger carrying 4,000 tramadol pills at the Muhammad Murtala International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that NDLEA officers at the gate ‘C ‘departure hall of the Lagos airport on Friday foiled the suspect’s attempt to export the pills to Malpensa, Italy, on an Ethiopian Airline flight.

He said that the psychoactive substance was found concealed in women’s wear, granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack, and another bag containing food items.

“In his statement, the suspect, who is a frequent flyer, confessed he was hired for 700 euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy,“ he said.

Meanwhile, in Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives arrested a 28-year-old woman on April 24 in Amarata area of Yenagoa.

Babafemi said that she was arrested for producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs, especially cannabis sativa.

According to him, at the time of her arrest, substantial number of the drugged cakes weighing 1.5kg were recovered from her.

Also, a 20-year-old hair stylist and a dispatch rider were arrested on March 10 by NDLEA operatives in Yenagoa for a similar offence.

Another person was arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilogrammes at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna.

Babafemi said that a teenager was also nabbed with 20.700kg of cannabis when his house in Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa State, was raided on April 26.

In another development, no less than 310.7 kg of cannabis was recovered on April 25 when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos State. (NAN)