A Georgia man accused of taking more than $165 million from thousands of investors through a cryptocurrency investment operation has been returned to the United States after spending more than a year in Fiji.
Edward Zimbardi, 59, of Flowery Branch, is accused of operating The Crypto Program, which federal prosecutors describe as a Ponzi scheme. He now faces 25 federal charges connected to the operation, including wire fraud, money laundering and a conspiracy charge.
Zimbardi was scheduled to make an appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Los Angeles following his return to the country. Prosecutors want him held by the U.S. Marshals Service while the case continues in the Northern District of Georgia.
The accusations go back to June 2022, when authorities say Zimbardi began promoting The Crypto Program online. The program offered people a chance to buy advertising packages using cryptocurrency. According to prosecutors, participants were told their money would produce monthly returns of 25%.
People who joined were directed to send cryptocurrency to digital wallets that Zimbardi allegedly controlled without telling them. By the time the operation ended in August 2023, investors had transferred more than $165 million.
Federal authorities say much of the money was used for purposes that did not match what investors had been told. More than $34 million allegedly went toward foreign currency trading. Those trades resulted in major losses, according to the government.
Money coming in from later participants was also allegedly used to make payments to people who had invested earlier. Authorities say Zimbardi directed at least another $10 million toward his own expenses. That included luxury vehicles, alimony payments and a home purchased for his son.
The program fell apart in August 2023, leaving victims without the money they had put into it. Zimbardi traveled to several places afterward, including Hawaii and Fiji.
Authorities say the situation changed further in July 2025. By then, Zimbardi allegedly knew that the FBI was looking into his activities, and prosecutors say he went to Fiji and stayed there.
He remained outside the United States even when one of his sons was getting married in Virginia in May 2026. Zimbardi had planned to attend but backed out because he believed federal agents could be waiting for him. Investigators were in fact planning to arrest him at the wedding, according to authorities.
Federal charges were filed against Zimbardi on July 8, 2026. The indictment lists 12 wire fraud charges and 12 money laundering charges, along with one charge involving an alleged money laundering conspiracy.
Fijian officials later became aware of the case. Working with U.S. authorities, they removed Zimbardi from Fiji on Aug. 14 and sent him back to the United States. The FBI and U.S. Department of State were involved in coordinating his return.
Investigators are also seeking information from people who put money into The Crypto Program. The FBI says victims may be contacted later about records that could be needed for possible restitution.
Zimbardi has not been convicted of the accusations in the indictment. Under federal law, he is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges against him beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
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