Breaking: CFTC Sues Mango Markets Exploiter On These Charges

Pratik Bhuyan
January 10, 2023 Updated September 5, 2025
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On Monday, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed charges of manipulation against Avraham Eisenberg, the exploiter of Mango Markets. These charges come just a few short weeks after Eisenberg, aka Mango Avi, was arrested by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) on charges that were particularly similar.

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CFTC Sues Mango Markets Exploiter

According to a lawsuit filed on Monday, Eisenberg engaged in “manipulation of a swap” for his part in abusing Mango Markets in October and allegedly used a deceitful method to influence the price of the MNGO token through fraudulent swaps. After a trader used numerous accounts to buy, sell, and hedge the price of the MNGO token, more than $100 million in cryptocurrency was stolen from the decentralized exchange.

According to the recent complaint, CFTC’s exact words were:

A manipulative and deceptive scheme to artificially inflate the price of swaps offered by Mango Markets.

Read More: What Are Music NFTs? How Are They Changing Music Industry?

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Eisenberg’s Trades Under Scanner

Eisenberg had claimed that he and his team had orchestrated an extremely profitable trading strategy and later would give some of the money back to Mango. However,  his tweets indicated that he felt the activities were within the law and completely legal.  But, around two months later, he was detained by the Justice Department on allegations of market manipulation.

Eisenberg specifically managed to increase the value of the native MNGO crypto token relative to the stablecoin USDC by purchasing the small-cap token in bulk. As a result, its price increased by 1,300% in October. Eisenberg and his crew were subsequently able to utilize the inflated MNGO as collateral for additional USDC loans.

In the wake of FTX’s bankruptcy, the CFTC is coming under increasing amounts of scrutiny. The government organization and its respective commissioners were on board with FTX’s efforts to lobby Congress for a measure that would expand the body’s regulatory authority over the cryptocurrency market prior to the exchange’s demise.

Also Read: What’s Pushing Dogecoin (DOGE) Price To Rally 10% Suddenly?

 

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Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
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Why Trust CoinGape

CoinGape has covered the cryptocurrency industry since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights Read more…to our readers. Our journal analysts bring years of experience in market analysis and blockchain technology to ensure factual accuracy and balanced reporting. By following our Editorial Policy, our writers verify every source, fact-check each story, rely on reputable sources, and attribute quotes and media correctly. We also follow a rigorous Review Methodology when evaluating exchanges and tools. From emerging blockchain projects and coin launches to industry events and technical developments, we cover all facets of the digital asset space with unwavering commitment to timely, relevant information.

About Author
About Author
Pratik has been a crypto evangelist since 2016 & been through almost all that crypto has to offer. Be it the ICO boom, bear markets of 2018, Bitcoin halving to till now - he has seen it all.
Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
Ad Disclosure: This site may feature sponsored content and affiliate links. All advertisements are clearly labeled, and ad partners have no influence over our editorial content.