[Mastermind Behind $165 Million Crypto Ponzi Scheme Extradited from Fiji to the U.S.] Odaily Planet Daily reports that Edward Zimbardi, a 59-year-old resident of Georgia, appeared in U.S. federal court facing 12 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of money laundering, and 1 count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. On August 14, Fiji extradited him to the U.S. under the coordination of the FBI and the U.S. State Department. Prosecutors allege that between June 2022 and August 2023, Zimbardi operated a project called The Crypto Program, luring participants with promises of a fixed 25% monthly return on advertising packages and requiring them to transfer cryptocurrency to wallets secretly controlled by him. The government claims that thousands of people collectively transferred over $165 million to the associated wallets. Prosecutors state that Zimbardi did not purchase any advertising but instead used over $34 million for high-risk forex trading and paid early investors with funds from new participants. He allegedly spent at least $10 million on personal expenses, including purchasing property for his son, luxury cars, and alimony payments. The U.S. Department of Justice noted that the scheme collapsed in August 2023, after which Zimbardi left the country and settled in Fiji upon learning of the FBI investigation in July 2025. The FBI is urging affected investors to come forward with information. (Decrypt)