Federal authorities have arrested Christopher Alexander Delgado, 34, of Apopka, Florida, accusing him of orchestrating a massive $328 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme through his company, Goliath Ventures Inc., formerly known as Gen-Z Venture Firm. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced the charges of wire fraud and money laundering on Wednesday. If convicted on all counts, Delgado faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
Prosecutors allege that from January 2023 through January 2026, Delgado, serving as president and CEO, raised at least $328 million from thousands of investors. He promised monthly returns of 3% to 8%, which he claimed were generated through "guaranteed" or "low risk" cryptocurrency liquidity pools. Instead, authorities claim he operated a classic Ponzi scheme, using money from new investors to pay purported returns to earlier backers and to meet withdrawal requests.
Court filings reveal that the firm's claims about deploying capital into crypto liquidity pools were false. Blockchain analysis showed that only about $1 million to $1.5 million was sent to the Uniswap decentralized exchange, while the "vast majority" of investor funds were not placed into any liquidity pools.
To build credibility, Delgado allegedly relied on personal referrals, polished marketing materials, luxury events, and charitable sponsorships. Investors were shown an online portal displaying consistent, fabricated gains adjusted to match the promised rates. Authorities allege he misused investor funds to purchase four luxury homes in Central Florida, valued between $1.15 million and $8.5 million each, and to fund high-end travel and lavish events.
Delgado made an initial court appearance on February 24 and was released on a $1 million bond with an ankle monitoring device. The case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. This case follows a TRM Labs report indicating pyramid and Ponzi schemes received approximately $6.1 billion in victim funds globally in 2025, a 49% increase from the previous year.
