Texas vs. Arizona State: How to watch, picks, odds for College Football Playoff quarterfinal Peach Bowl
NEW YORK (AP) — The founder and former CEO of the failed cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius Network could face decades in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to federal fraud charges, admitting that he misled customers about the business. Alexander Mashinsky , 58, of Manhattan, entered the plea in New York federal court to commodities and securities fraud. He admitted illegally manipulating the price of Celsius’s proprietary crypto token while secretly selling his own tokens at inflated prices to pocket about $48 million before Celsius collapsed into bankruptcy in 2022. In court, he admitted that in 2021 he publicly suggested there was regulatory consent for the company's moves because he knew that customers “would find false comfort” with that. And he said that in 2019, he was selling the crypto tokens even though he told the public that he was not. He said he knew customers would draw false comfort from that too. “I accept full responsibility for my actions,” Mashinsky said of crimes that stretched from 2018 to 2022 as the company pitched itself to customers as a modern-day bank where they could safely deposit crypto assets and earn interest. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a release that Mashinsky “orchestrated one of the biggest frauds in the crypto industry” as his company's assets purportedly grew to about $25 billion at its peak, making it one of the largest crypto platforms in the world. He said Mashinsky used catchy slogans like “Unbank Yourself” to entice prospective customers with a pledge that their money would be as safe in crypto accounts as money would be in a bank. Meanwhile, prosecutors said, Mashinsky and co-conspirators used customer deposits to fund market purchases of the Celsius token to prop up its value. Machinsky made tens of millions of dollars selling his own CEL tokens at artificially high prices, leaving his customers “holding the bag when the company went bankrupt,” Williams said. An indictment alleged that Mashinsky promoted Celsius through media interviews, his social media accounts and Celsius’ website, along with a weekly “Ask Mashinsky Anything” session broadcast that was posted to Celsius’ website and a YouTube channel. Celsius employees from multiple departments who noticed false and misleading statements in the sessions warned Mashinsky, but they were ignored, the indictment said. A plea agreement Mashinsky made with prosecutors calls for him to be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison and to forfeit over $48 million, which is the amount of money he allegedly made by selling his company's token. Sentencing was scheduled for April 8.Why This Macbook Air Can be the Perfect Laptop for Cost-Conscious Business Owners
Morgan State hopes for end to recent skid with visit to MinnesotaTexas vs. Arizona State: How to watch, picks, odds for College Football Playoff quarterfinal Peach Bowl
Minnesota is focused on one final task before it sets its sights on the Big Ten Conference season. The Golden Gophers (7-5) will look to finish 2024 on a high note when they host Morgan State on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. It will be the final nonconference game for Minnesota before it begins conference play in earnest with a home date against No. 21 Purdue on Thursday. Meanwhile, Morgan State (6-9) is hoping to break out of a skid that has included seven losses in its past 10 games. The Bears are coming off a 99-72 loss against No. 3 Iowa State on Dec. 22. The highest scorer on either team is Minnesota's Dawson Garcia, who is averaging 19.2 points to go along with a team-high 7.3 rebounds this season. Garcia is shooting 49.7 percent from the field, 85 percent from the free-throw line and 31.8 percent from 3-point range. Mike Mitchell Jr. ranks second on the Golden Gophers with 11.6 points per game. Lu'Cye Patterson is next with 10 points per contest, and Parker Fox is fourth with 6.8 points per game. "At the end of the day, we're all here for a reason," Mitchell said. "We have to produce when we're out there, but once (Garcia) gets going, it helps us all figure it out together." Minnesota coach Ben Johnson has seen opponents focus on slowing down Garcia as the season has progressed. That strategy could create opportunities for other teammates, he said. "Teams are always going to guard Dawson differently," Johnson said. "Are they not switching ball screens? Can you play through him in the post? ... When you get two on the ball, you can (kick) it out. Now you've got an advantage on the backside." For Morgan State, Wynston Tabbs leads the way with 16.1 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the field. Three other players are scoring in double figures: Amahrie Simpkins (12.7 points per game), Will Thomas (12.1) and Kameron Hobbs (10.7). Morgan State coach Kevin Broadus wants his players to be more disciplined on defense. "That's one of the things that we have to change," Broadus said. "We're fouling too much." This is the second meeting between the schools. Minnesota pulled away for a 94-64 win on its home court in the inaugural matchup on Dec. 8, 2009. --Field Level Media
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When it comes to buying top Canadian stocks while they’re undervalued, a 10% discount may not seem that significant. After all, there are plenty of stocks, whether they are value stocks, growth stocks or dividend stocks, that trade at much larger discounts, enticing investors to buy now. However, although a significant discount may seem more attractive, often, the stocks that are most undervalued are also the stocks that are struggling the most. Furthermore, just because a stock has traded higher before, it doesn’t mean it will reach that level again, especially for lower-quality businesses facing significant headwinds. That’s why investors are much better off buying the highest-quality stocks on the market, ones with significant long-term potential. You may not get the same discount when buying the stock, but these businesses have far more potential five and 10 years down the road. Conversely, a stock that appears cheap but lacks significant growth potential might only rebound to its fair value, offering little opportunity for further gains or sustained increases in shareholder value over the long term. So, with that in mind, if you’re looking for top Canadian stocks to buy right now while they are off their highs, here are two of the very best. One of the best growth stocks in Canada to buy right now As I mentioned before a 10% discount may not seem like much, but for a stock like ( ) having the opportunity to buy while its off its high is a significant opportunity. Dollarama has been growing rapidly for years now, both from a share price standpoint and a business operations standpoint. It’s one of the best and most unique businesses because it can take advantage of cheap capital and grow its operations when the economy is strong. However, it also sees a massive boost in sales when the economy faces significant headwinds and consumers are looking to stretch their budgets. Therefore, it’s no surprise that in just the past five years, its sales have increased at a (CAGR) of 10.6%. Furthermore, its normalized (EPS) have increased at a CAGR of 16.3% over those five years. Plus, as Dollarama continues to grow its Canadian business, it’s also now looking for new ways to find growth, such as its investment in the Latin American discount retailer Dollarcity. So, with Dollarama stock now trading at a forward (P/E) ratio of just 31.6 times, down from the high of 35.3 times it just reached back in early November, it’s easily one of the best Canadian growth stocks to buy now. An impressive financial stock trading off its highs In addition to Dollarama, another top-notch Canadian growth stock to buy now is ( ), a stock that’s down more than 20% from its highs. For years goeasy has grown its business rapidly both by finding new avenues of growth, but also by managing its risk. As a financial stock that primarily offers consumer loans to borrowers with below-prime credit ratings, goeasy certainly has a tonne of potential as long as it can manage its risk, which is precisely what it’s done. With charge-off rates almost always within its target range, goeasy earns huge returns on its equity each quarter, increasing shareholder value rapidly. In fact, Dollarama is one of the best and most impressive stocks to buy in Canada, and goeasy’s growth over the last five years has significantly outpaced it. For example, in the last five years, goeasy has increased its revenue at a CAGR of 19.8% compared to Dollarama’s still impressive growth rate of 10.6%. In addition, goeasy’s normalized EPS has increased at an incredible CAGR of 31.9% compared to Dollarama’s growth rate of 16.3%. Therefore, with goeasy offering an even more significant discount, as well as a dividend of just under 2.9%, it’s easily one of the best growth stocks to buy now. Not only does it trade at a forward P/E ratio of just 8.5 times, which is actually below its five-year average of 10.5 times, but you can also earn passive income while you hold goeasy and wait for it to rally back to fair value and beyond.South Korea lifts president's martial law decree after lawmakers reject military rule