Binance hires former deputy US Attorney as its first deputy general counsel

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has appointed former Deputy US Attorney in the Northern District of California, Joshua Eaton, as its first deputy general counsel. 

Eaton will be at the helm of the organisation’s legal affairs, and support the global compliance, investigations, and law enforcement coordination activities, Binance said in a statement.

He has over 20 years of experience serving the United States at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and in the US Army. Over the span of his career, Eaton provided key guidance to countless presidentially-appointed US Attorneys across America and US Army commanders both at home and while deployed.  

The statement further noted that while a line prosecutor and senior staff advisor in the US Army and thereafter an attorney at the DOJ, Eaton counselled the most complex and sensitive operations, investigations, litigation, policies, and programs, spanning a wide scope of US federal and international law enforcement and operational issues covered by the US Army and DOJ. 

“During my time at the US Attorney’s Office, I became interested in blockchain technology and crypto and discovered how important it is to prevent bad actors from abusing this important, legitimate emerging technology for corrupt personal gain,” said Eaton. 

“I decided to join Binance because of its commitment to this mission as well as its track record in collaboration with law enforcement driven by transparency, integrity and protecting users,” he added. 

Lately, the crypto market has witnessed major crash, however, CEO Changpeng Zhao seems to remain unperturbed by the most recent crypto currency market correction. 

“It might be the first time and painful for you, but it’s not the first time for #bitcoin... It just looks flat now. This (now) will look flat in a few years too,” Zhao tweeted on Tuesday to ease investors’ concerns. 

After achieving regulatory approval in France, Italy may be Zhao’s next destination. Early this week, he met several high profile Italian politicians which indicates that Binance look at lobbying for Italian regulatory approval.