Celsius | Crypto

While Roni Cohen-Pavon’s lawyers have asked for time served, US Attorney Jay Clayton was unspecific in the federal government’s recommendation, requesting the judge defer to sentencing guidelines. Federal prosecutors are recommending a light sentence for Roni Cohen-Pavon, the former chief revenue officer of defunct cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius. In a Monday letter filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), US Attorney Jay Clayton cited Cohen-Pavon’s “substantial assistance” to the government, by being prepared to testify against former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky. Prosecutors did not request a specific amount of time for the former chief revenue officer to spend in prison, instead asking the judge to consider the sentencing guidelines for an “appropriate sentencing reduction for a defendant who has rendered substantial assistance.” Read more

The FTC order ties Mashinsky’s $10 million payment to a mostly suspended $4.72 billion judgment that can be revived over asset disclosures. Celsius founder Alexander Mashinsky agreed to a US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlement that permanently bars him from promoting asset-related products and requires a $10 million payment tied to a broader, mostly suspended $4.72 billion judgment.  The stipulated order, entered by Judge Denise Cote in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, said Mashinsky is “permanently restrained and enjoined” from advertising, marketing, promoting, offering or distributing any product or service that can be used to “deposit, exchange, invest, or withdraw assets.” The order entered a $4.72 billion monetary judgment in favor of the FTC against Mashinsky, but most of it was suspended. Mashinsky must now pay $10 million to the FTC. However, the order said this obligation can also be satisfied if he pays at least $10 million to the US Department of Justice under the forfeiture ord...

Tether’s $299.5 million Celsius settlement could ignite a debate over stablecoin accountability and the legal risks facing issuers in future crypto bankruptcies. Stablecoin issuer Tether has agreed to pay $299.5 million to the Celsius Network bankruptcy estate, resolving claims tied to the crypto lender’s 2022 collapse and potentially opening a new chapter in the debate over stablecoin liability. The Blockchain Recovery Investment Consortium (BRIC) — a joint venture between asset manager VanEck and GXD Labs, an affiliate of Atlas Grove Partners — announced the settlement on Tuesday. The recovery concludes a years-long dispute over Bitcoin (BTC) collateral transfers and liquidations that preceded Celsius’s high-profile bankruptcy in July 2022. BRIC was formed in early 2023 to help maximize creditor recoveries from bankrupt digital-asset platforms. It was appointed asset recovery manager and litigation administrator by the Celsius Debtors and the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee in January 2024, after the company...

Bitcoin lending is making a quiet comeback with tighter controls, but volatility still threatens sudden liquidations. Bitcoin lenders are betting that tighter controls and clearer risk management can rebuild trust in a sector still haunted by the collapse of predecessors Celsius and BlockFi. Major Bitcoin lenders of the previous cycle imploded after turning user deposits into undercollateralized loans. When Bitcoin (BTC) prices fell and liquidity dried up, billions in customer funds were frozen or gone. But those implosions don’t prove that crypto-backed loans are doomed by design. The failures were largely the result of poor risk management rather than the model itself. Some platforms are now taking the right steps, such as overcollateralization, while enforcing stricter liquidation thresholds, according to Alice Liu, head of research at CoinMarketCap. Read more

Alex Mashinsky, the former CEO of Celsius, has agreed to surrender all rights to assets tied to the collapsed crypto lender. According to newly filed court documents, Mashinsky and entities associated with him, including AM Ventures Holdings Inc., Koala1 LLC, and Koala3 LLC, will be excluded from any future distributions under the Celsius bankruptcy plan. The […] The post Alex Mashinsky forfeits rights to Celsius assets amid ongoing bankruptcy process appeared first on CryptoSlate.