Court documents from the Western District of Washington federal court in the United States show that Changpeng Zhao may face a sentence of up to 18 months to ten years for his involvement in criminal activities. Despite being a billionaire and living in the United Arab Emirates, which does not extradite its citizens, he voluntarily went to the United States to stand trial. The government recommended bail before sentencing, but believed he still posed a flight risk and needed to be restricted during his stay in the United States to prevent him from returning to the United Arab Emirates. The government pointed out that Changpeng Zhao had no connection to the United States, and that his family and wealth were in the United Arab Emirates, so he had a motive to evade US law. The government requested that the court require Changpeng Zhao to stay in the United States during the period between his guilty plea and sentencing.