SEC Drops Hammer on Palafox in $198M Crypto Scam
New SEC boss, Paul Atkins, wasted no time. First day in office, and boom — Ramil Palafox, founder of PGI Global, got hit with major fraud charges. He’s accused of running a massive $198M crypto scam and blowing $57M of investor cash on flashy cars, watches, and pure luxury.
From 2020 to 2021, Palafox promised huge crypto and forex returns using fake trading tech. But according to the SEC, there was no trading — just lies and referral bonuses to pull in new victims. Basically, a Ponzi scheme with Lambos on top.
PGI Global crumbled by the end of 2021. Now, the SEC’s asking for bans, paybacks, and fines. Also involved? BBMR Threshold LLC execs and even family members like Marissa Palafox and Linda Ventura — all pulled into the legal mess.
Scott Thompson from the SEC said Palafox used “guaranteed profits” to lure victims, then just spent the money. Laura D’Allaird, head of the SEC’s Cyber Unit, called out his fake AI trading platform and “crypto expertise” as total fraud.
This case is another warning: watch out for crypto scam bros selling dreams. Sometimes it’s just smoke, mirrors, and maxed-out black cards.
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