One of the central figures behind a massive cryptocurrency scam has pleaded guilty in federal court. Vincent Anthony Mazzotta Jr., who allegedly posed as a government crypto expert, helped orchestrate a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of more than $13 million. He now faces up to 15 years in prison.
Fake Trading Platforms and AI Bot Deception
Between 2017 and 2023, Mazzotta worked alongside Australian co-defendant David Gilbert Saffron, running fraudulent platforms such as Mind Capital and Cloud9Capital. The pair claimed their profits came from sophisticated AI-powered crypto trading bots—which never actually existed.
Mazzotta communicated with victims under various aliases, including “Vincent Midnight,” “Delta Prime,” and “Director Vinchenzo,” pretending to be a trustworthy insider with access to official information.
Lavish Lifestyle Funded by Victims
Instead of investing the funds, the conspirators spent the money on luxury mansions in Hollywood Hills, private jet travel, personal security services, and expensive hotel stays.
According to the December indictment, the duo lived extravagantly while their victims believed they were profiting from the crypto boom.
Second Phase of the Scam: Fake "Federal Crypto Reserve"
For victims who had already lost money, the scammers offered a second chance—via a fictitious entity called the Federal Crypto Reserve, claiming to help recover stolen funds. In reality, they charged new fees under the pretext of “investigations,” further exploiting their victims.
Experts describe this tactic as an extreme form of secondary victimization, preying on people’s desperation and shame after being defrauded.
“Hope of recovering funds and guilt over their mistake makes victims extremely vulnerable,” said Karan Pujara, founder of ScamBuzzer. He warned that crypto recovery scams are becoming increasingly common and urged victims not to respond or engage at all.
Critical Advice for Investors
Pujara also cautioned investors to be wary of crypto services promising AI trading:
“If the returns they promise seem too good to be true, it’s likely a scam. If someone really had a profitable algorithm, they wouldn't sell it for a few hundred dollars.”
Mazzotta has pleaded guilty to money laundering and obstruction of justice. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15.
Rising Wave of Crypto Scams
This case is part of a growing trend. Just last week, a Colorado pastor and his wife were indicted by a Denver grand jury for allegedly running a $3.4 million crypto fraud through their online church, selling a worthless cryptocurrency called INDXcoin under the guise of “divine guidance.”
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