FTC Completes Celsius Founders Settlement: $16.5 Million in Combined Penalties by July 2026

According to the FTC, the three Celsius Network founders agreed to pay a combined $16.5 million in civil settlements by July 2026. Alexander Mashinsky, the company's former CEO, will pay $10 million; co-founder Shlomi Daniel Leon will pay $4.1 million; and Hanoch Goldstein will pay $2.4 million. The settlements resolve allegations that the founders deceived customers about the platform's safety, liquidity and financial condition before Celsius froze withdrawals in June 2022 and filed for bankruptcy the following month.

The three men did not admit or deny the FTC's claims. The orders impose permanent restrictions preventing each founder from marketing or selling products involving customer assets or cryptocurrency. Mashinsky's settlement is separate from his criminal conviction; he was sentenced in May 2025 to 12 years in federal prison for commodities and securities fraud.