Former Celsius CEO pleads guilty to two fraud charges

Former cryptocurrency leader Alex Mashinsky has pleaded guilty to two fraud charges. The founder and CEO of Celsius Network was indicted on seven criminal counts in 2023, including charges of fraud, conspiracy and market manipulation. He entered a not guilty plea at the time, but in a hearing today, Mashinsky pled guilty to two of those original counts. The first is commodities fraud and the second is a fraudulent scheme to manipulate the price of his company's in-house crypto token CEL. Reuters reported that as part of a plea deal, Mashinsky has agreed not to appeal any sentence of 30 years or less.

Mashinsky's case is one of several fraud cases being pursued against leaders of cryptocurrency operations. The most well-publicized charges are those brought against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who was found guilty on seven counts of fraud in 2023.

National agencies began a push into fraud charges for cryptocurrency schemes in 2022, when several notable companies filed for bankruptcy as token prices plummeted in response to rising interest rates and high inflation. That year, the Federal Trade Commission said that victims of crypto schemes had lost more than $1 billion since 2021.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/former-celsius-ceo-pleads-guilty-to-two-fraud-charges-224046043.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/former-celsius-ceo-pleads-guilty-to-two-fraud-charges-224046043.html?src=rss
Creată 7mo | 3 dec. 2024, 23:30:17


Autentifică-te pentru a adăuga comentarii

Alte posturi din acest grup

Xbox's sci-fi looter-shooter Blackbird was scrapped even after leaving execs 'blown away'

Xbox was well on its way to delivering a sci-fi stylized game with plenty of exciting movement mechanics before an abrupt change of heart. The upcoming third-person shooter RPG codenamed Blackbird

5 iul. 2025, 20:30:10 | Engadget
The best Amazon Prime Day deals under $50: Save on gear from Blink, Anker, Samsung and others

Big ticket items like TVs and iPads might get the lion’s share of the attention during Amazon’s big sale, but there are plenty of Prime Day deals to be had for under $50, too. We’ve combed through

5 iul. 2025, 18:10:21 | Engadget
Prime Day deal: Get up to 50 percent off Shark robot vacuums

If you've been itching to invest in a robot vacuum to help you clean up around the house, you're in luck. Prime Day deals, like clockwork, have brought discounts to a bunch of our favorite robot va

5 iul. 2025, 18:10:20 | Engadget
The best Prime Day laptop deals: Save on MacBooks, Windows 11 machines, Chromebooks and more

So you need a new laptop — you’ve waited for the right time. Amazon Prime Day 2025, as has been in years past, offe

5 iul. 2025, 18:10:19 | Engadget
A Tesla robotaxi inexplicably drove into a parked car

One of Tesla's fully autonomous robotaxis grazed a parked car after completing a ride recently in Austin, Texas. In a

5 iul. 2025, 18:10:18 | Engadget
The best Prime Day Apple deals on iPads, MacBooks, AirPods and more

There’s a reason Apple gear is so in demand. After reviewing nearly every major device out there, our current favorite

5 iul. 2025, 15:50:17 | Engadget