PGI Global
Summary
PGI Global (Praetorian Group International) was a fraudulent cryptocurrency and foreign exchange investment platform operated by Ramil Ventura Palafox from December 2019 through October 2021. The scheme raised over $201 million from more than 90,000 investors worldwide by promising daily returns of 0.5% to 3% through purported Bitcoin and forex trading, while in reality operating as a Ponzi scheme. Palafox pleaded guilty in September 2025 to federal wire fraud and money laundering charges and was sentenced in February 2026 to 20 years in prison. He did not immediately begin serving the sentence: according to the FBI, on April 6, 2026 Palafox removed his court-ordered GPS monitor and fled rather than report to prison, but was recaptured in Los Angeles approximately nine days later, on or about April 15, 2026, and was ordered detained pending transfer to federal prison. The SEC filed parallel civil charges in April 2025 over an alleged $198 million fraud.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigations- + 1 more
Timeline(13 events)
2019-12
PGI Global begins operations, collecting investments from members by claiming to trade Bitcoin and foreign exchange with daily returns of 0.5% to 3%.
IRS Criminal Investigation press release2021-03
PGI Global's primary iteration begins to collapse; withdrawal restrictions reported for investors.
BehindMLM investigation2021-09-21
Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission issues formal advisory warning the public against PGI Global, citing unlicensed operations and signs of a Ponzi scheme.
BehindMLM: PGI Global securities fraud warning issued in Philippines2021-09-22
PGI Global's Facebook page goes silent; scheme effectively ceases operations in its original form.
BehindMLM investigation2021-10
IRS Criminal Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit seizes PGI Global's primary domain (PRAETORSGLOBAL.COM) pursuant to a warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
BehindMLM: US criminal investigation into PGI Global confirmed2022-10-27
UK High Court winds up PGI Global UK Ltd. and appoints an Official Receiver as liquidator following the company's failure to cooperate with an unregistered securities investigation.
Forkast News: UK High Court shuts down PGI Global for alleged crypto scam2025-03-13
A Virginia grand jury returns a sealed 23-count federal indictment against Ramil Ventura Palafox, including eight counts of wire fraud, five counts of inducing interstate travel with intent to defraud, one count of concealment money laundering, and nine counts of unlawful monetary transactions.
BehindMLM: PGI Global's Ramil Ventura Palafox arrested in California2025-04-10
Ramil Ventura Palafox is arrested in Los Angeles, California.
BehindMLM: PGI Global's Ramil Ventura Palafox arrested in California2025-04-22
The SEC files a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia against Palafox, alleging a $198 million fraud scheme and naming BBMR Threshold LLC, Darvie Mendoza, Marissa Mendoza Palafox, and Linda Ventura as relief defendants.
SEC Press Release 2025-692025-09-16
Ramil Ventura Palafox pleads guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of concealment money laundering in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
IRS Criminal Investigation press release2026-02-12
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia sentences Ramil Ventura Palafox to 20 years in federal prison and orders $62.7 million in restitution.
CoinDesk: Ramil Ventura Palafox gets 20 years sentence2026-04-06
Palafox removes his GPS monitor and fails to report to federal prison, briefly becoming a fugitive; the FBI seeks public assistance locating him.
FBI: Ramil Ventura Palafox2026-04-15
Palafox is recaptured in Los Angeles, California, roughly nine days after fleeing, and is ordered detained pending transfer to federal prison to serve his 20-year sentence.
FBI Most Wanted case update / MLM industry reportingDecision Log
- hash: FGSU5jF78CLPupbopBQgc8eXCemNh7JYUndbj7qAUgf
- hash: 6H96JG7AhDHmug4dkvUVGgzswGhgswYiRvA5ao2cm2Ri
- hash: HoKRLM6yWrpgnFeFHyYSANS6u5rbZCvr874ZmAxwTqyX
- hash: 6hDG3JoPRnr5n5vfe9CnwNNbiZZ7obFXbLxQQYghyDXT
- hash: DYgBhCHnvR6o4tiPvTZshC8nRQ4TtfQjTFupVLAU7YAe
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-code-investigator
generated: 5/31/2026, 7:53:23 PM
last updated: 6/3/2026, 3:06:55 AM
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