Federal Jury Indicts Three Accused of Posing as Pastors in Alleged $28M Ponzi Scheme
Besides facing criminal charges, the accused pseudo-pastors were charged by the CFTC and the SEC with allegedly soliciting over 1,000 people for a fake crypto fund.
Jose Angel Aman, charged with operating the fraudulent investment scheme, was sentenced to serve six years in federal prison and pay over $23 million in victim restitution by a federal court in Florida.
The accused, Gutemberg Dos Santos, has been charged in an indictment and was extradited from Panama on Nov. 25.
The judge scheduled a restitution hearing for victim investors for this summer.
Cryptocurrencies worth billions of dollars have been seized during the police crackdown on the PlusToken Ponzi scheme in China.
Venture Capital Investments Ltd. raised $534,829 from 72 victims, falsely promising to invest funds in bitcoin and other assets.