TRAFFIC MOVING A LITTLE BIT SLOWER. AS SOON AS WE LEARN MORE, WE’LL BRING IT TO YOU. MEANTIME, IN VIDEO, YOU SAW ONLY ON WESH 2, THE MAN ACCUSED IN A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PONZI SCHEME SHOWED UP FOR HIS FEDERAL HEARING LAST WEEK IN A ROLLS ROYCE. NOW, THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WANTS TO SEIZE SOME OF THE LUXURY ITEMS. THEY SAY CHRISTOPHER DELGADO PURCHASED WITH STOLEN MONEY. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER GREG FOX SPOKE WITH ONE OF THE INVESTORS, WHO SAYS HE GOT RIPPED OFF. HAVE A GOOD DAY. DID YOU RUN A PONZI SCHEME? HAVE A GOOD DAY. TAKING MILLIONS FROM PEOPLE AND PUTTING IN YOUR OWN POCKETS. THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS CHRISTOPHER DELGADO SCAMMED INVESTORS OUT OF $328 MILLION THROUGH HIS ORLANDO COMPANY, GOLIATH VENTURES. INSTEAD OF INVESTING IN WHAT’S CALLED CRYPTO LIQUIDITY POOLS, WHERE INVESTORS CAN TRADE WITHOUT INTERMEDIARIES, THE U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE ALLEGES DELGADO TOOK MILLIONS FROM INVESTORS AND CREATED FAKE RETURNS TO MAKE THEM THINK THEY WERE MAKING MONEY. ONE ORLANDO INVESTOR, WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED, TOLD WESH TWO, INVESTIGATES. CHRIS DELGADO IS A FINANCIAL PREDATOR WHO LEVERAGED OTHER PEOPLE’S GOOD NAMES AND REPUTATIONS TO ENTICE UNSUSPECTING INVESTORS INTO HIS PONZI SCHEME. HE LIVES IN ISLEWORTH, DRIVES LAMBORGHINIS, FLIES ALL OVER THE WORLD IN PRIVATE JETS, GIVES AWAY INVESTOR MONEY TO CHARITIES AS IF HE WAS DOING GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITY. HE THROWS MASSIVE PARTIES, ALL IN THE GUISE OF SUCCESS, TO RECRUIT INVESTORS TO STEAL THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY. PLAIN AND SIMPLE, HE IS A BAD GUY. THEY SEE HOW RANDOM PEOPLE HAVE BECOME BILLIONAIRES THROUGH INVESTMENTS IN DIFFERENT TOKENS, AND THEY WANT IN. BUT TAULA ETHAN RAVIV IS A CYBERSECURITY EXPERT, CEO OF LIONSGATE NETWORK, WHICH HELPS CRYPTO FRAUD VICTIMS RECOVER THEIR MONEY. HE SAYS CRYPTO CROOKS PREY ON INVESTORS WHO HAVE LITTLE OR NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE CURRENCY, MAKING THEM EASY TARGETS SO THEY’RE THIEVES. ABSOLUTELY. JUST THE NEW GENERATION OF THIEVES, WHERE CRYPTO IS JUST THE EXCUSE. IT’S JUST THE VEHICLE TO MOVE VICTIMS MONEY INTO THEIR POCKETS. ACCORDING TO THE LATEST FBI REPORT, CRYPTOCURRENCY INVESTMENT FRAUD IN THE U.S. PROMPTED MORE THAN 41,000 COMPLAINTS IN 2024 AND GENERATED $5.8 BILLION IN LOSSES, COURT DOCUMENTS OBTAINED BY WESH 2 INVESTIGATES SHOW DELGADO AMASSED A FORTUNE, INCLUDING FOUR HOMES WORTH $14.5 MILLION. THE GOVERNMENT HOPES TO SEIZE. ADD TO THAT, 12 VEHICLES IN THE U.S. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING A FERRARI, LAMBORGHINI AND BENTLEY. DELGADO ALSO COLLECTED 18 WATCHES, INCLUDING TEN ROLEXES AND FIVE AUDEMARS PIGUET’S, FIVE TIFFANY AND COMPANY NECKLACES AND 12 BRACELETS. THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS UNTIL APRIL 24TH TO FILE AN INDICTMENT AGAINST DELGADO FOR WESH TWO INVESTIGATES. I’M GREG FOX. DELGADO IS DUE BACK IN FEDERAL COURT IN ORLANDO TOMORROW MORNING TO TRY AND KEEP HIS ASSETS, BESIDES CIVIL LAWSUITS FROM THREE SOUTH FLORIDA INVESTORS.
Court documents obtained by WESH 2 Investigates reveal that a Central Florida man charged with conning investors out of $328 million, lived a lavish life, with million-dollar homes, luxury cars, and enough jewelry to light up the largest of jewelry store display windows. Christopher Delgado, a failed candidate for Orange County Commission District Two in 2022, is charged by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida with running a Ponzi scheme. Similar to the one for which the late boy band founder Lou Pearlman made his riches from offices based at Church Street Exchange in Orlando, Delgado allegedly collected funds, promised easy returns, and showed bogus reports to investors making them think they were making money. “Did you run a Ponzi scheme, taking millions from people and putting it in your own pockets,” WESH 2 Investigates asked Delgado last Thursday as he was leaving the courthouse after being outfitted with an ankle monitor and surrendering his passport. He declined to answer questions, referring to his attorney, who also declined to comment on the case. Prosecutors allege Delgado was promising to invest funds, through his company, Goliath Ventures, in “crypto liquidity pools,” where investors can trade without intermediaries. One Orlando investor, who asked WESH 2 Investigates to conceal his identity, said, “Chris Delgado is a financial predator, who leveraged other people’s good names and reputations to entice unsuspecting investors into his Ponzi scheme. He lives in Isleworth, drives Lamborghinis, flies all over the world in private jets, gives away investor money to charities as if he was doing good for the community. He throws massive parties all in the guise of success to recruit investors to steal their hard-earned money. Plain and simple, he is a bad guy!” “They (cryptocurrency investors) see how random people have become billionaires through investments in certain tokens, and they want in,” said Bezalel Eithan Raviv. He’s a cybersecurity expert and CEO of Lionsgate Network, which helps crypto fraud victims recover their money. He says crypto crooks prey on investors who have little or no knowledge of the currency, making them easy targets, adding, “They’re thieves. Absolutely. Just the new generation of thieves where crypto is just the excuse, it’s just the vehicle to move victims’ money into their pockets.” According to the latest FBI report, cryptocurrency investment fraud in the U.S. prompted 41,557 complaints in 2024, and generated $5.8-billion in losses. Court documents obtained by WESH 2 Investigates show Delgado amassed a fortune, including four homes worth $14.5 million that the government hopes to seize. Add to that 12 vehicles in the U.S. and foreign countries, including a Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bentley. Delgado also collected 18 watches including 10 Rolexes and five Audemars Piquets, along with five Tiffany & Company necklaces and 12 bracelets. Prosecutors have until April 24 for file an indictment against Delgado, who remains free on bond. Delgado is due in Federal court Orlando on Thursday on several motions related to his bond, and conditions of release. Besides three civil lawsuits against him from south Florida investors, Delgado is being sued in the Middle District court by Orlando-based Prestige Florida Property Investment, LLC which is seeking more than $700,000 in damages.DOWNLOAD the free WESH 2 News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.WESH 2 Investigates The WESH 2 Investigates team is comprised of Greg Fox and Justin Schecker. Greg Fox has worked in broadcast journalism for nearly 44 years, 39 of which have been at WESH 2 News in Orlando. He has covered politics the entire time and investigative news for 25 of those years. Contact him at gfox@wesh.comJustin Schecker joined the WESH 2 Investigates team in September 2024. He’s spent the past six years of his broadcast journalism career reporting in Florida, with a focus on politics, criminal justice and education. Contact him atjustin.schecker@hearst.com
Court documents obtained by WESH 2 Investigates reveal that a Central Florida man charged with conning investors out of $328 million, lived a lavish life, with million-dollar homes, luxury cars, and enough jewelry to light up the largest of jewelry store display windows.
Christopher Delgado, a failed candidate for Orange County Commission District Two in 2022, is charged by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida with running a Ponzi scheme. Similar to the one for which the late boy band founder Lou Pearlman made his riches from offices based at Church Street Exchange in Orlando, Delgado allegedly collected funds, promised easy returns, and showed bogus reports to investors making them think they were making money.
“Did you run a Ponzi scheme, taking millions from people and putting it in your own pockets,” WESH 2 Investigates asked Delgado last Thursday as he was leaving the courthouse after being outfitted with an ankle monitor and surrendering his passport. He declined to answer questions, referring to his attorney, who also declined to comment on the case.
Prosecutors allege Delgado was promising to invest funds, through his company, Goliath Ventures, in “crypto liquidity pools,” where investors can trade without intermediaries.
One Orlando investor, who asked WESH 2 Investigates to conceal his identity, said, “Chris Delgado is a financial predator, who leveraged other people’s good names and reputations to entice unsuspecting investors into his Ponzi scheme. He lives in Isleworth, drives Lamborghinis, flies all over the world in private jets, gives away investor money to charities as if he was doing good for the community. He throws massive parties all in the guise of success to recruit investors to steal their hard-earned money. Plain and simple, he is a bad guy!”
“They (cryptocurrency investors) see how random people have become billionaires through investments in certain tokens, and they want in,” said Bezalel Eithan Raviv. He’s a cybersecurity expert and CEO of Lionsgate Network, which helps crypto fraud victims recover their money.
He says crypto crooks prey on investors who have little or no knowledge of the currency, making them easy targets, adding, “They’re thieves. Absolutely. Just the new generation of thieves where crypto is just the excuse, it’s just the vehicle to move victims’ money into their pockets.”
According to the latest FBI report, cryptocurrency investment fraud in the U.S. prompted 41,557 complaints in 2024, and generated $5.8-billion in losses.
Court documents obtained by WESH 2 Investigates show Delgado amassed a fortune, including four homes worth $14.5 million that the government hopes to seize.
Add to that 12 vehicles in the U.S. and foreign countries, including a Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bentley. Delgado also collected 18 watches including 10 Rolexes and five Audemars Piquets, along with five Tiffany & Company necklaces and 12 bracelets.
Prosecutors have until April 24 for file an indictment against Delgado, who remains free on bond.
Delgado is due in Federal court Orlando on Thursday on several motions related to his bond, and conditions of release.
Besides three civil lawsuits against him from south Florida investors, Delgado is being sued in the Middle District court by Orlando-based Prestige Florida Property Investment, LLC which is seeking more than $700,000 in damages.
DOWNLOAD the free WESH 2 News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
WESH 2 Investigates
The WESH 2 Investigates team is comprised of Greg Fox and Justin Schecker.
Greg Fox has worked in broadcast journalism for nearly 44 years, 39 of which have been at WESH 2 News in Orlando. He has covered politics the entire time and investigative news for 25 of those years. Contact him at gfox@wesh.com
Justin Schecker joined the WESH 2 Investigates team in September 2024. He’s spent the past six years of his broadcast journalism career reporting in Florida, with a focus on politics, criminal justice and education. Contact him atjustin.schecker@hearst.com