- Mango Markets hacker Avraham Eisenberg has said that he should keep the funds he took
- Eisenberg is being sued by Mango Markets to return $47 million he took from the platform
- There seems to have been a settlement payment made, but Mango Market says it should be voided
Mango Markets hacker Avraham Eisenberg has made an astonishing request in his case against the project he is alleged to have stolen from – he wants to keep the money. Mango Markets sued Eisenberg last month for the $47 million it says he still holds from the exploit, plus damages. A motion was filed in a New York District Court on February 15 by Eisenberg’s attorneys which opposed a lawsuit by Mango that seeks $47 million in damages, plus interest dating from Eisenberg’s October attack, which siphoned around $117 million from the protocol.
$67 Million Payment Was Made “Under Duress”
Eisenberg was taken into custody in Puerto Rico last year and charged with fraud and market manipulation for his role in the theft of approximately $110 million worth of cryptocurrencies from Mango Markets. Eisenberg has been charged by both the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with the thefts, with Eisenberg confessing to the wrongdoing, which he claimed was lawful at the time.
According to Eisenberg’s lawyers, the “matter was settled” due to a settlement agreement that he reached with Mango DAO, and therefore he should not be required to repay any additional funds to the DeFi platform. This settlement took the form of a $67 million payment made to the DAO weeks after the theft, after which “all involved considered this matter closed and Mr. Eisenberg heard nothing further from Mango Markets.”
Mango stated in its initial filing that this settlement should be voided however, as it was made “under duress” and alleged Eisenberg “was not engaged in lawful bargaining.”
