Travis Ford Sentenced to 5 Years for Running $9.4M Crypto Ponzi Scheme
- Travis Ford raised $9.4M from 2,800 investors, promising unrealistic daily returns.
- Ford misappropriated investor funds for personal gain, leading to significant financial losses.
- Court documents revealed Ford’s public reassurances despite mounting investor complaints and internal failures.
Authorities sentenced Travis Ford to five years after a cryptocurrency fraud case. The sentence followed an investigation into his conduct at Wolf Capital Crypto Trading. Officials reported that Ford raised funds from thousands of investors during 2023. Investigators said he used the company website and social channels to attract participants. Ford claimed he worked as a skilled trader who produced steady daily gains.
Prosecutors stated that he promised returns between one and two percent each day. They noted that he knew those numbers never matched real trading outcomes. They said investors lost funds while Ford continued collecting new deposits. Court documents show that Ford reassured investors during rising concerns in 2023. He told them everything stayed safe and that proof would appear the next morning. He also dismissed online criticism by calling it fear and doubt.
Investor Concerns and Public Statements
Prosecutors described repeated attempts to calm investors while losses continued. They explained that Ford admitted in his plea that promised gains remained impossible. A post on X by CoinDesk confirms that the operation drew more than 2,800 investors before collapsing. They noted that Ford diverted investor money for personal benefit and partner use.
Authorities required him to pay one million dollars in forfeiture. They also ordered more than one hundred seventy thousand dollars in restitution. Records show that investors faced significant losses as funds vanished. Officials emphasized that Ford raised money under claims he could not meet. They pointed to growing investor unrest before the company shut down.
Documents outline rising questions about the firm’s performance throughout the year. Investigators said Ford attempted to reassure people while losses mounted. They indicated that investor complaints increased as returns failed to appear. Reports show that Ford continued public statements while internal numbers deteriorated. Officials asserted that his admissions confirmed the misleading nature of his claims.
Details From Court and Agency Records
They described the scale of the case as unusual given rapid fundraising. Records detail a pattern where Ford raised money despite failing performance. Officials noted that investors relied on his public assurances.
They added that those assurances conflicted with internal results. Documents show that Ford’s messages attempted to control growing doubt. Records indicate that investor trust declined as losses expanded. Officials reviewed his communications to understand his approach.
They said the case reflected increasing concern about false online investment claims. Authorities documented every instance where Ford reassured participants. They referenced his statements that aimed to dismiss critical comments. Files describe a pattern of reassurance during periods of loss.
