NEW YORK (Reuters) – Roni Cohen-Pavon, a former executive of bankrupt cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network, has pleaded guilty to U.S. criminal charges, court records showed on Thursday.
Cohen-Pavon, Celsius’ former chief revenue officer, pleaded guilty in a hearing held on Wednesday before U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan to four counts, including manipulating the price of the exchange’s crypto token, known as Cel.
Cohen-Pavon, an Israeli citizen, was initially charged in July alongside Alex Mashinsky, Celsius’ founder and former chief executive officer. He had been located abroad at the time of Mashinsky’s arrest, according to Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan.
Mashinsky has pleaded not guilty to U.S. fraud charges. Prosecutors say he misled customers and artificially inflated Cel’s price.
Cohen-Pavon’s sentencing date is set for Dec. 11, 2024.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
