US DOJ requests 20-year sentence for Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky


Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of the now-defunct cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius, faces a 20-year jail sentence because the US Division of Justice (DOJ) seeks a extreme penalty for his function in a multibillion-dollar fraud.

The DOJ on April 28 filed the federal government’s sentencing memorandum towards Mashinsky, recommending a 20-year jail sentence for his fraudulent actions, which led to billions of {dollars} in losses for Celsius prospects.

The 97-page memo talked about that Celsius customers had been unable to entry roughly $4.7 billion in crypto property after the platform halted withdrawals on June 12, 2022.

“The Courtroom ought to sentence Alexander Mashinsky to twenty years’ imprisonment as simply punishment for his years-long marketing campaign of lies and self-dealing that left in its wake billions in losses and 1000’s of victimized prospects,” the DOJ said.

Mashinsky’s private profit was $48 million

Along with the investor losses, the DOJ famous that Mashinsky has personally profited from the fraudulent schemes in his function.

As a part of his guilty plea in December 2024, Mashinsky admitted that he was the chief of the legal exercise at Celsius, that his crimes resulted in losses in extra of $550 million, and that he personally benefited greater than $48 million, the DOJ stated.

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An excerpt from the federal government’s sentencing memorandum towards Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky. Supply: CourtListener

The DOJ highlighted that Mashinsky’s responsible plea confirmed that his crimes had been “not the product of negligence, naivete, or unhealthy luck,” however moderately the results of “deliberate, calculated selections to lie, deceive, and steal in pursuit of private fortune.”

It is a creating story, and additional data might be added because it turns into obtainable.

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