AG Reyes Leads Urgent Letter to Biden Administration on the Hostage Designation of Tigran Gambaryan

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes and seventeen other state attorneys general joined in asking President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken to designate Tigran Gambaryan as a hostage pursuant to the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. The attorneys general express grave concern for the life of Mr. Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen and law enforcement leader who is being unlawfully detained by the Nigerian government for leverage against his employer.

"Tigran Gambaryan is being held unlawfully by the Nigerian government under potentially life-threatening circumstances. This is not a partisan issue, but rather one of pure humanitarian concern and fundamental patriotic duty," said Attorney General Reyes. "In our role as attorneys general, many of us have jurisdiction over criminal justice matters and are law enforcement leaders for our own communities. Tigran Gambaryan is one of these heroes in our world."

Mr. Gambaryan spent a long and distinguished career working in international law enforcement. As a Special Agent with the IRS, he worked to uphold American values and enforce the law. Entering the private sector, Gambaryan joined Binance, a global cryptocurrency exchange. He used his law enforcement experience to help Binance align its practices with U.S. legal standards and international security priorities. Earlier this year, Gambaryan traveled to Nigeria at the invitation of local officials to discuss strategies to better police crypto markets. Upon arrival, Gambaryan was arrested without cause, his passport was confiscated, and he was detained without formal charges. For months, Gambaryan has been held in a notoriously violent Nigerian prison.

The need for action increased this morning, when the Nigerian government failed to produce Mr. Gambaryan for a long-scheduled court proceeding. According to press reports, the Nigerian government was unable or unwilling to explain Mr. Gambaryan's whereabouts to the Nigerian judge, other than stating he was in custody.

Elaborating on the letter, Attorney General Reyes explained "the protection of American citizens unites Americans of all stripes. Not surprisingly, U.S. law provides tools for the President and Secretary of State to deal with unlawful detentions like Mr. Gambaryan's. I encourage Secretary Blinken to designate Mr. Gambaryan as a hostage and use every tool at his disposal to bring Mr. Gambaryan home to his family."

This designation would unlock critical resources and apply diplomatic pressure, greatly increasing his chances for an immediate release-before this unlawful detention becomes a tragedy.

The letter was led by AG Reyes, and co-sponsored by Attorney General Tong of Connecticut, Attorney General Frey of Maine, and Attorney General Formella of New Hampshire. Attorneys general from Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, and Virginia also joined the letter.

Read the full letter here.