# Judge Refuses to Cancel Gemini's $5 Million CFTC Penalty as White House Crypto Office Sits Empty

A federal judge rejected the joint request from the regulator and the exchange to undo the settlement. Patrick Witt's departure leaves the president's digital-assets council without a director.

- Published: 2026-10-16T05:52:42.472Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/crypto/2026-10-16/judge-refuses-to-cancel-gemini-s-5-million-cftc-penalty-as-w
- Publisher: Polylog (Crypto desk)
- Section: crypto
- Sources: [crypto.news](https://crypto.news/gemini-cftc-lose-bid-to-cancel-5-million-penalty/), [CoinDesk (White House vacancy)](https://www.coindesk.com/news-analysis/2026/10/15/at-the-white-house-crypto-policy-vacancy-looms-large), [CoinDesk (Crypto for Advisors)](https://www.coindesk.com/coindesk-indices/2026/10/15/crypto-for-advisors-wall-street-is-done-waiting-on-congress-for-crypto-rules)

A United States federal judge rejected a joint bid by Gemini and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to overturn a $5 million settlement and left the original order in place, crypto.news reported. In May, the agency and the exch…

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