Celsius founder seeks to overturn 12-year prison sentence, accuses FTX of attempting to "destroy Celsius"

Odaily Odaily News Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky has filed a motion with a New York court seeking to overturn his 12-year prison sentence for fraud and market manipulation.

According to court documents, Mashinsky chose to appear pro se after his lawyers withdrew, claiming they "stopped communicating" with him, forcing him to file documents personally. He argues that his previous defense constituted "ineffective assistance of counsel" and invokes the "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine to challenge the legality of some evidence in the case.

In his submission, Mashinsky also alleged that Sam Bankman-Fried intended to "destroy Celsius" and attributed market manipulation related to the CEL token to FTX. Additionally, he publicly shared text messages with former Celsius Chief Revenue Officer Roni Cohen-Pavon, claiming the latter attempted a "hostile takeover" of the company.

In 2025, Mashinsky pleaded guilty to commodities fraud and securities fraud, was ordered to forfeit $48 million, and must also pay a $10 million settlement to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. Cohen-Pavon, who previously testified for the prosecution, has been sentenced to "time served" and ordered to pay over $1 million in fines. (Cointelegraph)