03.11.2026 10:31
A verdict has been issued in the case of entrepreneur Gökçe Güven, who was accused of raising approximately $7 million from investors by overstating the revenues of the US fintech startup Kalder. After pleading guilty to securities fraud in May, Güven was sentenced by the Manhattan Federal Court to 25 months in prison, with the sentence converted to 2 years of supervised release. Prosecutors had sought 3.5 years in prison.
(ISTANBUL)
- The decision has been made regarding Gökçe Güven, founder of Kalder, who was accused of defrauding investors in the US and pleaded guilty to securities fraud. The Manhattan Federal Court sentenced Güven to 25 months in prison, with the sentence converted to 2 years of supervised release.
The ruling has been announced in the case of Gökçe Güven, founder of the fintech startup Kalder, who was tried in the US. Güven, who was accused of "raising approximately $7 million from more than a dozen venture capital investors by overstating the company's revenues," pleaded guilty to securities fraud in May.
While the prosecution sought 3.5 years in prison for Güven, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan sentenced him to 25 months in prison, with the sentence converted to 2 years of supervised release.
JUDGE DID NOT ACCEPT FORMER EMPLOYEES' CLAIMS
Announcing his decision, Judge Kaplan stated that he did not accept the picture presented to the court by the prosecution and some former employees of the company. Lewis A. Kaplan said that the former employees in question were trying to take control of the company and demanded millions of dollars.
EMPHASIS ON A SECOND CHANCE
Judge Kaplan stated that a young entrepreneur who received 14 years of education at the world's elite educational institutions deserved a second chance to continue his life. In line with the court's decision, Güven will be able to continue his life from where he left off, provided he does not commit a new crime during the 2-year supervised release period.
LAWYERS: THIS CASE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN FILED
Following the decision, Gökçe Güven's lawyers, former Deputy U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Danielle Sassoon and former SDNY prosecutor Andrea Griswold, made a joint assessment. Stating that they were honored to represent Güven, the lawyers said that they had not encountered such a case during their careers at SDNY. Sassoon and Griswold also stated that they believed the case should not have been filed from the very beginning.