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Key Points
- The U.S. seeks civil forfeiture of Christopher Delgado's seven properties and 11 vehicles.
- Delgado was arrested for running a $328 million Ponzi scheme through Goliath Ventures, falsely promising crypto liquidity pool investments.
- Delgado donated $75,000 to two Apopka schools, which may need to return the spent funds amid the fraud investigation.
The United States is seeking civil forfeiture of Apopka native Christopher Delgado’s properties and vehicles, according to a Friday press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
“Delgado used approximately $17 million in victim investors’ funds to buy five homes and office space,” the release said. “He also spent more than $2.5 million in victim investors’ funds to purchase, lease, or pay off loans on 11 vehicles (the ‘Defendant Assets’). Most of these purchases or loan satisfactions constituted monetary transaction knowingly conducted by Delgado with more than $10,000 in proceeds of wire fraud, making those Defendant Assets subject to forfeiture as property involved in money laundering.”
Delgado was arrested in February for wire fraud and money laundering through his alleged investment firm, Goliath Ventures. He was charged with running Goliath as a Ponzi scheme, gaining at least $328 million after telling investors their funds would be placed in cryptocurrency liquidity pools. According to the complaint filed Thursday, Delgado “had signatory authority” for at least 32 bank accounts and placed “only about $1 million into any liquidity pool.”
The complaint lists seven real properties and 11 vehicles as the assets subject to forfeiture. One of the real properties is a five-bedroom home in Apopka.
“Although Delgado and his wife bought the property with clean funds, once the Goliath fraud scheme began, he made mortgage payments with fraud proceeds,” the complaint said. “As described below, from January 2023 through March 2026, Delgado made approximately $160,527.96 in payments to United Wholesale Mortgage, the loan servicer, through various accounts he controlled at JPMC, BOA, LMB, and CNB that were funded with fraud proceeds[.]”
Delgado bought four houses through Apopka Mayor Nick Nesta, who acted as the broker for the purchases. Nesta was subpoenaed earlier this month in correlation to Goliath’s bankruptcy case, which is unrelated to the criminal case against Delgado.
Dream Lake Elementary School and Apopka High School received at least $75,000 donated from Delgado and could be required to return the funds, which are already spent, according to the school district.