celsius-founder-alex-mashinsky-hit-4-7-billion-ftc-judgement-lifetime-crypto-ban
Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky reaches $10 million FTC settlement with lifetime crypto industry ban
A large portion of the judgment was suspended, leaving Mashinsky on the hook for $10 million.The FTC banned Mashinsky from any future dealings in the crypto and financial services sectors.
2026-04-30 Source:theblock.co

The Federal Trade Commission entered a multi-billion-dollar judgment against former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky while permanently barring him from the crypto and financial services industries.

The order, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, enters a $4.7 billion judgment against Mashinsky tied to losses stemming from the 2022 collapse of the Celsius crypto lending and borrowing platform.

However, most of the judgment is suspended, leaving Mashinsky on the hook for just $10 million unless it is later found that he "failed to disclose any material asset" or made other misstatements about his financial condition, according to the filing. 

In addition to the monetary penalty, the FTC permanently banned Mashinsky from "advertising, marketing, promoting, offering, or distributing" any product involving the deposit, exchange or investment of assets. 

In its complaint, the FTC said Mashinsky and other Celsius executives engaged in "deceptive and unfair acts or practices" in marketing crypto lending and custody services.

The order extends the $4.7 billion judgment tied to Celsius' bankruptcy to Mashinsky and includes imposing reporting and record-keeping requirements on him for up to 18 years.

Mashinsky is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in December 2024 to commodities fraud and a scheme to manipulate the price of Celsius’ native CEL token.

At sentencing last year, prosecutors said Mashinsky “orchestrated one of the biggest frauds in the crypto industry,” while Judge John G. Koeltl noted that victims lost their life savings and suffered psychologically.


Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.