The founder and former CEO of the cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius Network was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison after a prosecutor labeled him a predator who “preyed on hope” by enticing vulnerable customers to risk their life savings for a supposedly safe investment.

Prosecutors accused Mashinsky of misleading investors about the profitability of Celsius’ platform while secretly selling off tens of millions of dollars in personal holdings.

Alex Mashinsky, the founder of cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network, was ordered to spend 12 years in prison for defrauding hundreds of thousands of customers lured by his firm’s high interest rates on digital-asset deposits.