Share this article

Failed Crypto Lender Celsius Fires Back, Accusing Ex-Employee of Fraud

KeyFi founder and CEO Jason Stone has previously filed suit against Celsius, accusing his former employer of market manipulation, among other charges.

Updated May 11, 2023, 5:43 p.m. Published Aug 23, 2022, 4:29 p.m.
Celsius has filed a countersuit against an ex-employee. (Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)
Celsius has filed a countersuit against an ex-employee. (Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Bankrupt lender Celsius Network on Tuesday filed a countersuit against KeyFi and its CEO, Jason Stone, accusing the defendants of stealing valuable property from Celsius and demanding damages and restitution. Celsius acquired part of KeyFi in mid-2020.

"This action arises from the defendants' incompetence, deceit and conversion," according to the bankruptcy court filing by Celsius.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

The lender labels KeyFi and Stone as "not just incompetent, they were also thieves." Further, according to Celsius, Stone and company used the recently banned Tornado Cash crypto "mixer" to cover any tracks left by their theft of assets.

Read more: Bankrupt Crypto Lender Celsius Sues Prime Trust Over $17M in Tokens

"The defendants' liability to Celsius is staggering," said Celsius, saying funds lost through negligence alone are worth many tens of millions of dollars, with funds stolen possibly worth tens of millions more.

In early July, KeyFi and Stone filed suit against Celsius, accusing the company of crypto market manipulation and the lack of any accounting controls to protect consumer deposits.

Read more: Bankrupt Crypto Lender Celsius Now Says It Likely Has Enough Cash to Last Through End of Year

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Brazilian stock exchange B3 to launch its own tokenization platform and stablecoin

Brazil's flag (Rafaela Biazi/Unsplash/Modified by CoinDesk)

The stablecoin will facilitate tokenized asset transactions and is expected to be linked to the Brazilian real.

What to know:

  • B3 plans to launch a tokenization platform and a stablecoin in 2026, enabling asset tokenization and trading with shared liquidity.
  • The stablecoin will facilitate tokenized asset transactions and is expected to be linked to the Brazilian real.
  • B3 is also expanding its crypto derivatives offerings, including new options and contracts tied to crypto prices.