Mango Markets’ Eisenberg charged with possession of child porn
Avraham Eisenberg, who was found guilty of fraud and market manipulation in the $110 million heist from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Mango Markets in October 2022, has been charged with possession of child pornography.
The court filing dated April 3 — made public on April 26 — alleges Eisenberg had images of prepubescent minors under the age of 12 on his devices.
The latest allegations come after another court filing in August 2023 revealed that the images were initially found on Eisenberg’s laptops and cell phones during a preliminary examination by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning the accusations of fraud and market manipulation.
After the discovery of child pornography content on Eisenberg’s electronic devices, the law enforcement agency requested and was granted a second warrant in February 2023 to extend the first warrant’s scope of search.
The latest court filing alleges that Eisenberg had child pornography images and transferred them from 2017 to 2022. The court document states:
“The defendant knowingly possessed and accessed with intent to view a book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, computer disk, and other material that contained an image of child pornography.”
The allegations are yet to be proven, but the Mango Markets exploiter could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Under the U.S. penal code, simple possession of child pornography has no mandatory minimum and a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.
Investigative journalist Christopher Brunet claimed that he had managed to obtain screenshots of conversations Eisenberg had with the underage children, but “these conversations are too disgusting to post on Substack.”
Eisenberg was arrested in Puerto Rico in December 2022 and has beeheld in U.S. custody since January 2023. He was found guilty of fraud and market manipulation for the $110 million exploit on the DeFi protocol Mango Markets in October 2022.
The court verdict came on April 18 after a two-week jury trial, and a judge is set to announce sentencing at a July 29 hearing. Eisenberg could face up to 20 years in prison for fraud charges.
