Alex Mashinsky, Founder and Former CEO of Celsius (CEL), Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

A U.S. judge on Thursday sentenced Alex Mashinsky, the founder and former CEO of defunct lending protocol Celsius (CEL), to 12 years in prison for defrauding investors.

According to the Manhattan federal court, Judge John G. Koeltl said that Mashinsky had engaged in a sweeping scheme to deceive investors in a lending scheme that began unraveling in 2022 with the collapse of Sam Bankman Fried’s FTX.

The 12-year prison term was less than the 20 years sought by federal prosecutors, who argued that Mashinsky should serve a longer sentence due to the "unmitigated greed" that drove him to defraud investors.

"The sentence imposed on Mr. Mashinsky reflects the serious nature of his crimes and serves as a deterrent to others who may consider engaging in similar unlawful conduct," said Elie Lancellotti, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

Earlier this year, Mashinsky pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud, including commodities fraud and securities fraud. As part of the plea deal, Mashinsky agreed to forfeit $48 million and will not appeal any sentence of up to 30 years.

However, the funds were a small portion of the over $1 billion financial hole that Celsius had. Earlier this year, Celsius creditors approved a restructuring plan that would convert the firm into a Bitcoin (BTC) mining company called Ionic Digital LLC, to be owned by creditors.

The judge also ordered Mashinsky to pay $140 million in restitution to victims of his crimes.

"After engaging in a brazen fraud, Mr. Mashinsky is being held accountable for his actions," said Gary Schaero, special agent in charge of the FBI's New York office. "As we continue to see, crypto is not above the law."

Since the cryptocurrency industry experienced the 2022 bear market, which was partly driven by the Terra Luna and FTX collapse, lawmakers in different jurisdictions have put in place measures to protect web3 investors. In the U.S., Sam Bankman Fried has been a key lesson to web3 developers seeking to flout the set crypto regulatory rules.

The crypto market is well positioned to grow exponentially in the coming years, driven by clear regulatory frameworks. In addition, institutional investors have compelled global lawmakers to pay attention to digital assets as an alternative form of battle-tested investments.