The defense of the founder of Celsius Alex Mashinsky asked the court to limit the prison term by one year, rejecting the recommendation of the US Ministry of Justice about the 20-year imprisonment.
Lawyers called the prosecution requirements “a prison sentence to death” for a 59-year-old entrepreneur.
In December 2024, Machinsky pleaded guilty to fraud with exchange products and manipulations with CEL token quotes. However, his defense insists that Celsius customers were not considered “victims” – we are talking about market risks, and not intentional harm.
Lawyers also recalled that the client voluntarily agreed to guilty, that “already requires courage.”
The prosecutors insist: the ex-head of Celsius intentionally deceived customers, hiding the risks of the bankruptcy of the platform. According to them, the losses of depositors exceeded $ 2 billion.
Protection rattles: the requirements of 20 years ignore the lack of criminal records and innocence of machine in other episodes, including fraud with the transfer of funds.
Recall that the sentencing to Machinsky is scheduled for May 8.
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Source: Cryptocurrency
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