{
  "id": 3352461,
  "title": "Russell Simmons Recovers Celsius Drink Stock After Legal Battle Tied to Malaysian Bond Fraud",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/russell-simmons-recovers-celsius-drink-stock-after-legal-battle-tied",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T21:21:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/pro/russell-simmons-recovers-celsius-drink-stock/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russell Simmons is set to regain access to a substantial portion of Celsius stock, following a legal battle involving his ex-wife and her second husband. The case began in 2015 when Simmons, his ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons, and Leissner jointly purchased nearly 10 million Celsius shares for $3 million. The value of these shares has skyrocketed in the years since, with Celsius now trading at $35.40 per share. When the shares were seized as part of Leissner's conviction for his role in the 1MDB Malaysian bond fraud, Simmons alleged that his ex-wife had stolen her 49% share of the investment. The two deny any wrongdoing. Simmons has promised to use the recovered Celsius stock to pay off his creditors, who are owed a total of over $11 million. He has also agreed to pay settlements to six women who accused him of sexual misconduct, amounting to a combined $11.3 million. While many of these claims have been settled, Simmons still owes more than $11 million in total. The remaining Celsius shares not recovered by Simmons will be split between his ex-wife and a longtime friend of Leissner's, while the DOJ will retain the rest as criminal forfeiture proceeds.",
  "summary": "The Def Jam founder previously agreed he would use at least $8.6 million from the lucrative stock holdings to pay past-due settlements.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}