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Key Points
- Christopher Delgado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering related to a $328 million Ponzi scheme.
- Delgado was founder, president, and CEO of Goliath Ventures, which falsely claimed to invest in blockchain and cryptocurrency projects.
- He agreed to forfeit multiple properties and faces up to 20 years in prison for counts one and two and up to 10 years for count three.
Apopka native Christopher Delgado has agreed to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, according to a federal plea deal filed Tuesday. Delgado was arrested in February for allegedly running a $328M Ponzi schemethrough cryptocurrency firm Goliath Ventures.
According to the “Factual Basis” document attached to the plea deal, Delgado served as the founder, president, and CEO of Goliath Ventures for at least three years.
“Delgado and his co-conspirators represented to the public that Goliath was a joint-venture cryptocurrency investment enterprise that invested in blockchain and cryptocurrency projects and that operated decentralized finance liquidity pools,” the “Factual Basis” document said. “In truth, Goliath was a large-scale fraud scheme through which Delgado and others known and unknown to the United States solicited at least 1,000 victim investors, resulting in an actual loss of at least $250 million.”
The plea agreement includes a 12-page list of property acquired through fraudulent funds. Delgado has agreed to forfeit each item to the United States. Notable properties include eight houses, 11 vehicles, 30 watches, and returned charitable donations totaling $290,000.
According to the plea deal, Delgado has admitted that all details in the “Factual Basis” document are true, contradicting what he told WFTV Channel 9 reporter Daralene Jones in a YouTube interview posted in May.
“I think a Ponzi scheme has intent — knowingly raising money, knowingly building it as a fraud,” Delgado said. “I didn’t build Goliath to bea Ponzi scheme.”
If the plea agreement is accepted, Delgado will not be charged “with any other federal criminal offenses known to the United States Attorney’s Office at the time of the execution of this agreement, related to the conduct giving rise to this plea agreement,” the agreement said.
However, Delgado would still face maximum penalties for each count, with counts 1 and 2 carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, count three carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and all three requiring “a fine of not more than $250,000 or twice the gross gain caused by the offense, or twice the gross loss caused by the offense, whichever is greater,” among other penalties.