Top Binance executives depart due to CZ’s handling of DOJ investigation Report.

According to Fortune, at least three senior officials have left Binance, a troubled cryptocurrency exchange, this week as the company prepares to defend itself from various challenges. The departed individuals include Binance General Counsel Han Ng, Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Hillmann, and Senior Vice President for Compliance Steven Christie, as confirmed by a source familiar with the matter. Additionally, Binance’s Global Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Steve Milton, left the company in June, as per his LinkedIn profile. The departure of these officials follows Senior Director of Investigations Matthew Price’s recent decision to leave the exchange.

Fortune reported that the decisions by Ng, Hillmann, and Christie to resign were influenced by Binance founder and CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s response to an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation reportedly pertains to Binance’s alleged attempts to deceive U.S. regulators, as well as accusations of money laundering and violations of sanctions.

However, Hillman tweeted on Thursday that he left on good terms and that he continues to respect and support Zhao. Binance is currently facing investigations from multiple regulators worldwide, and the departure of executives from its legal and compliance units is likely to complicate its defense efforts.

In June, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Binance, accusing the exchange of committing 13 securities law violations. Two months earlier, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also filed a lawsuit against the company. Binance is also facing investigations led by regulators in Europe and Australia.

These investigations have impacted the operations of Binance’s business in the United States, as well as its international trading arm, which U.S. regulators suspect to be closely intertwined. Following the SEC lawsuit, Binance lost a major European banking partner, and Binance.US announced the discontinuation of trading in U.S. dollars.

The price of BNB, Binance’s native cryptocurrency token, has dropped approximately 2% since the publication of Fortune’s article.

Edited by Nelson Wang.