A Florida man accused of running what may be the largest cryptocurrency-related Ponzi scheme involving $328 million has been arrested, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Christopher Alexander Delgado, 34, of Apopka, Florida, was taken into custody on a criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud and money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison. The criminal complaint contains charges and Delgado is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
TRM Labs’ global report shows that global pyramid schemes and Ponzi schemes received approximately $6.1 billion in victim funds in 2025, an increase of 49% from the previous year. The latest case before Goliath Ventures involves Praetorian Group International (PGI) CEO Ramil Ventura Palafox, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for misleading more than 90,000 investors and losing more than $62.7 million.
Delgado served as president and CEO of Goliath Ventures (formerly Gen-Z Venture Firm) from January 2023 to January 2026, prosecutors said. Authorities allege that during this period, he raised at least $328 million from investors by promising monthly returns generated through cryptocurrency “liquidity pools” (sometimes referred to as “guaranteed” or “low-risk”), with contracts promising monthly returns of approximately 3% to 8%.
Instead of investing the funds represented, Delgado allegedly ran Goliath as a Ponzi scheme, using funds from new investors to pay purported returns to early backers and fulfill withdrawal requests.
The complaint alleges that the company’s claims about deploying capital into cryptocurrency liquidity pools were false. According to court documents, investigators said blockchain analysis showed that only about $1.5 million was sent to Uniswap and that the “vast majority” of investor funds were not put into liquidity pools.
To establish credibility and attract victims, Delgado relied on personal recommendations, glossy marketing materials, lavish events, charitable sponsorships and regular payments in return, prosecutors said. Court documents also show that investors saw account updates through an online portal showing ongoing gains, but the reported “returns” were allegedly fabricated and adjusted to match the promised rates.
The case is being investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Orlando. As the investigation continues, law enforcement officials are asking potential victims to come forward.
