Pablo Renato Rodriguez Charged in $100M Crypto Ponzi Scheme

Pablo Renato Rodriguez, Gutemberg Dos Santos, Scott Hughes, Cecilia Millan, and Jackie Aguilar are facing federal charges in a sweeping indictment unsealed today over a $100 million global cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. Prosecutors allege the defendants orchestrated a sophisticated, international fraud under the guise of AirBit Club—a fake cryptocurrency mining and trading venture—that lured victims with promises of guaranteed daily returns on cash investments.

According to the superseding indictment, Rodriguez and Dos Santos founded AirBit Club in late 2015, promoting it as a multilevel marketing operation in the crypto space. Millan and Aguilar served as key promoters, traveling across the United States and to Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe to host flashy expos and intimate community pitches. Victims were handed access to an online portal that falsely displayed growing profits—phantom earnings generated by code, not real mining or trading activity.

The scheme relied on deception and luxury. The defendants allegedly used investor funds to finance a high-rolling lifestyle—buying luxury cars, designer jewelry, and multi-million-dollar homes—all while staging increasingly extravagant recruitment events to sucker in more victims. The Southern District of New York became a key jurisdiction where cash payments were collected, fueling the fraud’s expansion.

Rodriguez and Hughes are set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Early in the Central District of California. Millan will appear before Magistrate Judge L. Patrick Auld in the Middle District of North Carolina, while Aguilar faces Magistrate Judge Christine A. Nowak in the Eastern District of Texas. Dos Santos was arrested in Panama City, Panama, and remains in custody pending extradition to the United States.

“As alleged, the defendants put a modern-day spin on an age-old investment scam, promising extraordinary rates of guaranteed return on phantom investments in cryptocurrencies,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss. “Thanks to HSI, the defendants are in custody and facing serious criminal charges.”

HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh condemned the defendants’ brazen exploitation: “Those arrested today have not only been charged with running a multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency investment fraud and money laundering ring, but also for allegedly spending their victim’s money on luxury cars, jewelry, and homes.” The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels, with charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit fraud.