Mastermind Behind $165 Million Crypto Ponzi Scheme Extradited from Fiji to U.S.

Odaily News: Edward Zimbardi, a 59-year-old Georgia resident, appeared in U.S. federal court facing 12 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Fiji authorities handed him over to U.S. custody on August 14, in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. State Department.

Prosecutors allege that Zimbardi operated a project called "The Crypto Program" from June 2022 to August 2023, luring participants with promises of a fixed 25% monthly return on advertising packages, requiring them to transfer cryptocurrency into wallets he secretly controlled. The government claims that thousands of individuals collectively transferred over $165 million into these wallets. Prosecutors stated that Zimbardi did not purchase advertising but instead funneled more than $34 million into high-risk forex trading, using funds from new investors to pay earlier ones. His personal spending totaled at least $10 million, including purchasing property for his son, buying luxury cars, and making alimony payments.

The U.S. Department of Justice stated that after the project collapsed in August 2023, Zimbardi left the country and settled in Fiji in July 2025 upon learning of the FBI investigation. The FBI is urging affected investors to come forward with information. (Decrypt)