Crypto Trader’s $110 Million Manipulation Case Now With Jury
- US says Avi Eisenberg lied and stole assets from DeFi platform
- Eisenberg lawyer says he engaged in legal trading strategy
The trial is the first time a US jury will decide whether someone manipulated a crypto market.
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Federal jurors in New York heard sharply contrasting arguments on whether a trader manipulated the Mango Markets cryptocurrency exchange to steal $110 million or executed a perfectly legal strategy that was permissible under the rules of the platform.
Prosecutors wrapped up their trial of Avi Eisenberg, 28, by arguing Wednesday he used fake trades of Mango’s token, known as MNGO, to manipulate futures contracts on Oct. 11, 2022, which boosted the value of swaps by 1,300% in 20 minutes. He then allegedly stole platform assets by “borrowing” against those inflated contracts on the exchange.