Former Goliath Ventures CEO Christopher Delgado has issued a public apology as he faces federal charges in what prosecutors describe as a $328 million crypto Ponzi scheme.
In an interview aired Monday on ABC-affiliate WFTV, Delgado said he returned voluntarily to the U.S. to answer fraud and money-laundering charges brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Orlando on Feb. 20. “They put their trust in me, and I failed them,” he told the station, adding he wanted to explain the events “from beginning to end” and to express regret.
Federal prosecutors allege Delgado ran Goliath Ventures from January 2023 through January 2026, persuading investors to place large sums into crypto liquidity-pool strategies that purportedly offered guaranteed monthly returns and unrestricted redemption. If convicted on all counts, Delgado faces up to 30 years in prison. Reported victims include nurses, teachers, firefighters and retirees; one investor has been reported to have lost nearly $720,000 after being assured both guaranteed returns and ready access to funds.
Delgado acknowledged in the interview that Goliath paid investors “an astronomical amount of money,” a comment prosecutors point to in alleging Ponzi-like payouts. Court filings say investor funds were diverted to personal and corporate expenditures, including the purchase of four Florida properties totaling about $14.5 million, luxury travel, large business events and company holiday parties. At the time of his arrest, Delgado said Goliath Ventures had roughly $160,000 left in its bank account.
Delgado is currently out on bail under home confinement and wearing an ankle monitor at an 11,000-square-foot estate authorities say was bought with investor funds. He also told WFTV he was not acting alone and is cooperating with federal investigators about the roles of former colleagues.
Parallel to the criminal case, a proposed class-action filed in March in federal court in Northern California targets JPMorgan Chase, alleging the bank processed roughly $253 million in inbound deposits to accounts tied to Goliath Ventures between January 2023 and June 2025. Plaintiffs claim about $123 million of those funds were subsequently moved to wallets at Coinbase and other crypto platforms. The suit argues JPMorgan violated Know Your Customer and anti-money-laundering obligations by failing to flag or stop suspicious activity that did not align with Goliath’s stated business.
Investors behind that suit are seeking damages and pressing the broader argument that traditional banks should bear responsibility when allegedly fraudulent crypto operations use regulated banking channels to move funds.
A federal judge in Florida recently extended the deadline for prosecutors to file a formal indictment against Delgado to June 26. The case continues to draw attention across the crypto and banking sectors, highlighting scrutiny on both private crypto fund operators and the banks that process their transactions.
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