One of the biggest names in Counter-Strike history may soon find himself behind bars.
Emil “HeatoN” Christensen is set to go on trial in Sweden for accounting violations which occurred during his time as an owner of esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas.
According to a report on Swedish website Aftonbladet, Christensen is among three former owners of Ninjas in Pyjamas who have been accused of misleading an auditor while filing the team’s finances.
The organization formerly behind Ninjas in Pyjamas, Stockholm E-Sport Production AB, is accused of failing to pay employment taxes for players contracted by the Ninjas. If found guilty of the offense, Christensen could reportedly face fines and up to six months in jail. The jail time could extend to as many as six years if the crime is found to be “severe.”
Christensen insists that he is innocent, offering that he was not involved in the reporting of the finances related to the case and putting the blame at the feet of one of his two former co-owners.
Christensen made his name in Counter-Strike playing with the original Ninjas in Pyjamas teams and SK Gaming. His multiple major titles and years of success make him one of the game’s most accomplished players, and his name was long synonymous with competitive Counter-Strike.
The incident occurred prior to Ninjas in Pyjamas being sold to its current ownership group, Ninjas in Pyjamas AB and its majority shareholders at Diglife.
Screengrab via Ana-Marie Samoila
