The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors for Celsius has filed a motion to recover millions from former CEO Alex Mashinsky and other top executives of the bankrupt crypto lender.
The committee named Mashinsky, co-founders Shlomi Daniel Leon and Hanoch “Nuke” Goldstein, former CFO Harumi Urata-Thompson, former General Counsel Jeremie Beaudry, former head of Celsius trading desk Johannes Treutler, former VP of Lending Aliza Landes, and Mashinsky’s spouse Kristine Meehan Mashinky in the filing.
The motion accused the named parties of losing millions of dollars due to negligent and self-interested operations, market manipulation regarding the CEL, and covering up for Mashinsky’s reckless bets.
According to the filing, Mashinsky and other top execs withdrew millions from the platform in the months leading up to the lender’s crash.
The committee filing follows a report from a court-appointed independent examiner that exposed gross mismanagement of customer funds and Ponzi-like operations at the bankrupt crypto lender.
As a possible solution, Celsius has proposed selling its crypto business to NovaWulf Digital Management, with smaller creditors receiving around 70% of their funds back, and tokenized shares allocated to larger creditors.
The committee’s filing and the subsequent sale proposal have come as a shock to Celsius customers, investors, and other stakeholders.
Many are following this case with great interest, as it raises questions about the responsibility of crypto executives and their legal and moral obligations to their investors and customers.
With the legal battle expected to continue, the case may have broader implications for the entire crypto industry, raising questions about transparency, accountability, and regulation.
