Securities Fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured a settlement of up to $35 million from former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky, alongside a permanent ban from the securities, commodities and cryptocurrency industries. The action follows claims that Mashinsky misled investors about the safety of Celsius deposits before the lender froze withdrawals and entered bankruptcy in 2022.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Few and Far founder Taj Tarsha with securities fraud and wire fraud tied to a $10 million fundraising for an NFT marketplace. Authorities allege investor money was diverted to online gambling, cryptocurrency speculation, personal expenses and other uses rather than project development.