A pregnant woman sent an ultrasound of her unborn child to the founder of the imploding cryptocurrency lending service Celsius, in hopes of convincing him to let her withdraw funds from her frozen account.
The lending service blocked customers from withdrawing funds on June 12, amid a massive crypto market downturn, leaving billions of dollars in customer funds locked up in the platform. It filed for bankruptcy a month later.
Dozens of people have submitted letters to the judge in the case, including the pregnant woman, an Australian who says she needs the fund tied up in her Celsius account to pay for her upcoming birth, major surgery for her aunt, and schooling for her other two children.
“I was planning to withdraw from Celsius to fund my birth and my aunt’s operation in late June, but due to the withdrawal halt, I don’t have access to any funds and my life has become so miserable now,” she wrote.
The woman included an email she sent to Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky on June 15, begging to withdraw even a portion of her money.
“I am 5.5 months pregnant with my first child,” she wrote, attaching an ultrasound image of the fetus to the email. “I am expecting to give birth in early October and I do need the fund to pay for the hospital, doctor, and baby items such as cot, clothes, nappies etc. I also need the fund to pay for school fees for my two other school aged children.”
A spokesperson for Celsius did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking…
