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PGI CEO Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for $200 Million Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme

2026.02.13 08:18:07

On February 13, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a landmark case: Ramil Ventura Palafox, CEO of Praetorian Group International (PGI), was sentenced to 20 years in prison for operating a $200 million Bitcoin Ponzi scheme. Palafox, 61, a dual U.S.-Philippine citizen, served as PGI’s chairman and CEO. He was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering for defrauding more than 90,000 investors worldwide. The scheme ran from December 2019 to October 2021: Palafox falsely claimed PGI traded Bitcoin, promising daily returns of 0.5% to 3%. But PGI’s actual Bitcoin trading volume was far too low to deliver those returns—confirming it was a classic Ponzi scheme. Global investors poured over $201 million into PGI: $30.295289 million in fiat currency and 8,198 Bitcoins (valued at $171.498528 million). Total investor losses topped at least $62.692007 million.
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