WASHINGTON: An Irishman at risk of losing his farm; an American having suicidal thoughts; and an 84-year-old widow’s lost life savings: people caught in the meltdown of crypto lender Celsius are pleading for their money back.

Hundreds of letters have poured in to the judge overseeing the firm’s multi-billion-dollar bankruptcy and they are heavy with anger, shame, desperation and, frequently, regret.

“I knew there were risks,” said a client whose letter was unsigned. “It seemed a worthwhile risk.” Celsius and its CEO Alex Mashinsky had billed the platform as a safe place for people to deposit their crypto currencies in exch­ange for high interest, while the firm lent out and invested those deposits.

But as the value of highly volatile cry­pto currencies plummeted - bitcoin alone has shed over 60 per cent since November — the firm faced mounting troubles until it froze withdrawals in mid-June.

The company owed $4.7 billion to its users, according to a court filing earlier this month, and the endgame is unclear.

The letters — posted to a public online court docket — come from around the world and recount tragic results of users’ money being frozen.

“From that hard-working single mom in Texas struggling with past-due bills, to the teacher in India with all his hard-earned money depo­sited in Celsius — I believe I can speak for most of us when I say I feel betrayed, ashamed, depre­ssed, angry,” wrote one client who signed their letter E.L.

While the letters vary in their level of sophistication about the crypto world — from self-confessed novices to all-in evangelists — and the monetary impacts range from a few hundred dollars to seven-figure sums, nearly all agree on one thing.

“I have been a loyal Celsius customer since 2019 and feel completely lied to by Alex Mashinsky,” wrote a client.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2022