2,800 Investors Left Reeling After Crypto CEO's $9.4 Million Ponzi Scheme Falls Apart

Travis Ford, who served as CEO of Wolf Capital Crypto Trading LLC, has been handed a five-year sentence in federal prison by a U.S. court for masterminding a $9.4 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that deceived close to 2,800 investors. The 36-year-old Glenpool, Oklahoma resident must also forfeit more than $1 million and pay $170,000 in restitution,

. The judgment, issued on November 14, 2025, comes after Ford admitted guilt in January 2025 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Between January and August 2023, Ford ran Wolf Capital, presenting it as a lucrative crypto investment opportunity. He

(which would amount to 547% per year) through a polished website and active social media marketing. Legal filings show Ford and his associates knowingly made these unsustainable promises. Rather than investing, they diverted investor money for personal use—buying luxury goods, gambling, and real estate—until the operation unraveled in August 2023 when withdrawals were halted.

The DOJ highlighted that Ford’s conduct left many investors—including retirees and young professionals—in severe financial distress. "Ford failed to invest the majority of funds as he had pledged," the DOJ reported. "Instead, he used new investors’ money to pay earlier participants, following the typical Ponzi model." The USPIS led the investigation, having

to build their case against Ford.

This verdict comes amid a worldwide increase in crypto-related scams. Earlier this year, a Chinese national known as the "cryptoqueen" received an 11-year sentence for orchestrating a $6 billion

Ponzi operation, and North Korean cybercriminals were implicated in a $1.5 billion theft from ByBit exchanges. The DOJ has also launched a Scam Center Strike Force to tackle these crimes, particularly those emerging from Southeast Asia and China.

Ford’s conviction highlights the dangers of investing in unregulated cryptocurrencies. "

in 2025," one report observed, noting losses exceeding $2.17 billion in just the first six months of the year. Prosecutors rebuked Ford for attributing his actions to "market pressures" during his sentencing, describing it as an attempt to evade accountability.

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