Pastor Accused Of Defrauding Congregation With $3 Million Crypto Ponzi Scheme

Denver-based internet pastor, Eli Regalado, is at the center of a controversy surrounding an alleged crypto Ponzi scheme involving INDX coin. 

The self-proclaimed spiritual leader has come under scrutiny as Colorado’s securities regulator investigates his deceptive practices, which reportedly resulted in over $3 million in ill-gotten gains. Fortune magazine report shed light on the matter, exposing Regalado’s questionable actions and shedding light on the plight of the victims involved.

According to Colorado’s securities regulator, Regalado, and his wife orchestrated a “small-scale swindle”, targeting hundreds of individuals with promises of extraordinary returns on their investments in INDX coin. 

Presenting his appeals with biblical undertones, using terms like “sowing” and “tithing,” Regalado convinced his online church followers that purchasing the cryptocurrency would yield a tenfold increase in their investments. 

However, the promised returns never materialized, and investors lost their “hard-earned” money. To compound matters, it is alleged that the Regalados diverted a significant portion of the funds to finance personal expenses, including home renovations and luxury purchases, further exacerbating the victims’ financial losses.

Despite the allegations and mounting legal troubles, Regalado chose to address the accusations head-on by posting a 10-minute video on the crypto project’s website.

In the video, he attempts to deflect responsibility, claiming that misappropriating funds was not solely his decision, but rather a result of divine guidance for a home remodeling project. 

Displaying a lack of understanding of financial concepts, Regalado haphazardly employs buzzwords like “leverage” and “liquidity” without demonstrating a clear comprehension of their meaning. 

Furthermore, Regalado boasts about the supposed success of the project, mentioning “$300 million of coins sown before the exchange went live.” However, the Colorado regulator clarifies that these coins have no value, primarily because they could only be traded on the Kingdom Wealth Exchange, an ill-functioning service operated by the Regalados themselves.

According to Fortune, the next steps in this ongoing investigation are expected to involve the state of Colorado seizing any remaining funds and returning them to the defrauded investors. 

Meanwhile, Regalado’s video attempts to invoke divine intervention, predicting that the INDX coin debacle will resolve itself miraculously through divine intervention in the financial sector.

According to CoinGecko data, the total crypto market cap has declined over 4.6%, reaching as low as $1.51 trillion on Monday.  However, when compared to one year ago, the cryptocurrency market has witnessed an impressive surge of 55.27%. 

At the forefront of the cryptocurrency market stands Bitcoin (BTC), the pioneering digital currency that continues to dominate the landscape. As of today, Bitcoin’s market cap stands at an impressive $795 billion, accounting for a substantial 47.66% of the total cryptocurrency market. 

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com