Ex-Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky seeks delayed prison sentencing

Former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky's lawyers asked for his sentencing to be pushed back after the former exec pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

In a court filing on Wednesday, lawyers for Mashinsky asked for his sentencing to be pushed back a month from April 8 to May 8, 2025.

"The defense wants to ensure that it has sufficient time to prepare a sentencing submission that accurately presents Mr. Mashinsky’s views on his offense conduct, along with the many other factors to be considered by the Court in weighing an appropriate sentence," they said in the filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

Mashinsky, 59, pleaded guilty in December for two of his criminal charges, including commodities fraud. Mashinsky was arrested in 2023 after prosecutors said he defrauded customers and misled them about Celsius’ profitability. Celsius operated as a crypto lender that allowed customers to earn interest and take out loans.

The firm filed for bankruptcy in 2022 and was later wrapped up earlier this year. As part of Celsius' wind down, some funds were used to create a new bitcoin mining company called Ionic Digital.

Mashinsky's lawyers also say that prosecutors have said they are against Mashinsky's postponement, but were open to delaying the sentencing for a week. 

"The Government objects to moving the sentencing date at this time and believes the request is premature," according to the court filing.