Due to some procedures of the US criminal justice system and the protection of due process of the Fifth Amendment, despite receiving a four-month sentence, former Binance CEO Zhao Changpeng has not yet been jailed. According to the judgment signed by the judge, Zhao Changpeng should surrender himself after being notified by the probation or pretrial services office. At present, the relevant units have not notified Zhao Changpeng that he must enter the California prison.
According to US federal regulations, the sentence of an offender begins when the person is "taken into custody awaiting transfer or voluntarily delivered to the official detention facility where he will serve his sentence." Although the sentence may start immediately on the day of the verdict, there are three possibilities for delay:
1. The judge may force the defendant to surrender to the US Marshals first, and the Marshals may then escort or later notify the offender when he will be jailed.
2. The judge may authorize the probation or pretrial services office to notify the defendant of his jail date.
3. The judge may allow the defendant to voluntarily go to jail. Judges usually reserve this option for defendants with the shortest sentences or the least likely to escape. Zhao Changpeng received the second type of sentence. Because he was not sentenced to multiple years in prison, the US Marshals did not take him into custody immediately. Instead, the judge gave Zhao Changpeng the second most lenient path. He awaits notification from the probation or pretrial services office.