PGI International Ponzi scammer Ramil Ventura Palafox, aka RV Palafox, has been arrested in California.
Palafox’s arrest follows a March thirteenth, 2025 sealed Grand Jury indictment in Virginia.
BehindMLM reviewed PGI International in July 2020. We discovered an MLM crypto Ponzi hidden behind crypto buying and selling, crypto ATM and “blockchain training” ruses.
That is confirmed in Palafox’s indictment;
Between roughly December 2019 and October 2021, within the Japanese District of Virginia and elsewhere, the defendant, RAMIL VENTURA PALAFOX having devised and intending to plan a scheme and artifice to defraud, and for acquiring cash and property by way of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and guarantees, transmitted and brought about to be transmitted by way of wire communication in interstate and overseas commerce writings, indicators, indicators, footage, and sounds for the aim of executing such scheme and artifice, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Part 1343.
It was the article of the scheme for PALAFOX to acquire funds from traders by knowingly making materially false representations and guarantees and by concealing materials information concerning PGI’s profitability, licensures, enterprise exercise, anticipated funding returns, capacity to make funding funds, and use of traders’ funds.
Palafox stands accused of defrauding 90,000 PGI International traders out of “at the very least $200 million”.
As to PGI International’s ruses;
PALAFOX misled traders as to PGI’s bitcoin buying and selling exercise and the way their funding funds have been getting used.
For instance, PALAFOX represented to traders that PGI’s merchants have been producing substantial returns by buying and selling on Cryptocurrency Alternate 1 and Cryptocurrency Alternate 2 and that his merchants have been capable of generate income no matter whether or not
the worth of bitcoin was going up or down.In reality, PGI was neither buying nor buying and selling bitcoin with many traders’ investments, and lots of traders misplaced all or a few of their investments.
In typical MLM Ponzi trend, major beneficiaries of invested funds have been Palafox and associates;
PALAFOX used traders’ funds to pay different traders, to additional promote the scheme, and for private expenditures, together with for the acquisition of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}’ price of luxurious items, actual property, and at the very least 20 high-end automobiles.
PGI International went on to break down in or round February 2021. Palafox’s exit-scam lies are documented in his indictment;
By February 2021, if not earlier, traders have been regularly unable to withdraw their investments or their purported earnings.
PALAFOX acknowledged and brought about different promoters to state that PGI was having technical difficulties with its fee processors, however that PGI would ultimately pay traders what they have been owed.
Between February 2021 and June 2021, PALAFOX advised traders that PGI had shaped relationships with two new fee processing corporations, Firm 2 and Firm 3, and that these corporations would facilitate funds.
These have been merely lulling statements. In reality, PALAFOX didn’t present both Firm 2 or 3 with funds enough to assist the traders’ withdrawal requests.
Palafox’s Virginia indictment costs him with
- eight counts of wire fraud
- 5 counts of inducing interstate journey with intent to defraud
- one depend of concealment cash laundering and
- 9 counts of financial transactions in property derived from specified illegal exercise
The DOJ is searching for forfeiture of Palafox’s illgotten positive factors, together with the next documented belongings;
- a 2001 BMW M3;
- a 2013 Tesla Mannequin S;
- a 2014 Audi A4;
- a 2014 BMW 750LX;
- a 2014 Ferrari 458 Particular;
- a 2014 Subaru Impreza;
- a 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550;
- a 2016 Bentley Continental;
- a 2016 Lamborghini Aventador;
- a 2016 Rolls-Royce Ghost;
- a 2019 Porsche 911 Targa;
- a 2020 McLaren 720 S;
- a 2020 Mercedes-Benz G;
- a 2016 Tesla Mannequin X;
- a 2020 Lamborghini Huracan;
- a 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo;
- a 2021 Land Rover;
- $56,141 held in a PNC Checking account;
- $41,168 held in a Cathay Checking account;
- $45,092 held in a MUFG Union Checking account;
- $720,458 held in a Lexicon Checking account; and
- $36,293 held in a Lexicon Checking account
Money and and luxurious items seized from Palafox’s Porter Ranch, California home in 2021, are additionally topic to seizure;
- $196,711 in money;
- 4 Valentino luggage;
- a Valentino pockets;
- a pair of Valentino sun shades;
- two Versace luggage;
- two Versace purses;
- a Versace pockets;
- a pair of Versace sun shades;
- a Versace belt;
- a Louis Vuitton purse;
- eighteen Louis Vuitton luggage;
- seven Louis Vuitton wallets;
- 4 Louis Vuitton backpacks;
- two Louis Vuitton pouches;
- a Louis Vuitton sun shades case
- a Louis Vuitton card holder;
- a Louis Vuitton packing dice;
- a pair of Louis Vuitton males’s high-tops;
- two pairs of Louis Vuitton loafers;
- 4 Louis Vuitton curler suitcases;
- a Louis Vuitton watch case;
- two pairs of Louis Vuitton sun shades;
- a pair of Louis Vuitton eyeglasses;
- a Louis Vuitton folding mirror;
- a Louis Vuitton desk clock;
- a Cartier passport pockets;
- a Cartier bag;
- two Cartier males’s wristwatches;
- three Cartier girl’s bracelets;
- two pairs of Cartier eyeglasses;
- a Cartier girl’s ring;
- two Gucci luggage;
- a Gucci purse;
- a pair of Gucci sneakers;
- two pairs of Gucci sun shades;
- seven Goyard luggage;
- two Goyard purses;
- two Goyard coin circumstances;
- a Goyard curler suitcase;
- a Goyard baggage set;
- eleven Chanel luggage;
- two Chanel wallets;
- three Chanel purses;
- a pair of Chanel suede sneakers;
- 5 Hermes luggage;
- three Hermes wallets;
- a pair of Hermes slides;
- a Dior purse;
- 4 Dior luggage;
- a Mini Girl Dior bag;
- a Dior coin purse;
- three Christian Dior luggage;
- a Prada Vitello purse;
- a Prada Vitello pockets;
- a Christian Louboutin Elisa telephone pouch;
- a Christian Louboutin pockets;
- two Christian Louboutin luggage;
- a Fendi F pockets;
- a Yves Saint Laurent pockets;
- three Yves Saint Laurent luggage;
- two pairs of Yves Saint Laurent ladies’s sneakers
- 4 Valentino Garavani luggage;
- a Valentino Garavani purse;
- a Botega Veneta bag;
- a Manolo Blahnik heel slides;
- a “designer wall clock” resembling a wristwatch;
- an i-Mac pc;
- eight Rolex males’s watches;
- a Hublot males’s wristwatch;
- a VCA stamped girl’s bracelet;
- 5 white gold/gold neck chains and bracelets;
- a pair of Dita sun shades;
- two pairs of Tom Ford sun shades;
- a pair of Tiffany eyeglasses; and
- a Panerai males’s wristwatch
Following submitting of Palafox’s sealed indictment in Virginia, an arrest warrant was issued on March thirteenth.
Palafox was arrested on April tenth in Los Angeles, California. Having had his passport seized and subjected to location monitoring, Palafox was granted launch on a $50,000 look bond and his deeded California property.
The case picked again up in Virginia on April fifteenth, with the DOJ searching for Palafox’s detention pending trial.
The USA appeals to this Courtroom, because the court docket of unique jurisdiction over the offense, and requests reversal of the Justice of the Peace Choose’s order of launch and an order that the defendant be detained or within the different that the Courtroom impose further restrictions that may assure his look and the protection of the group.
The DOJ asserted Palafox was “a severe flight danger” and “hazard to the group”.
Palafox poses a considerable danger of flight. Over a two-year interval, he owned, operated, and managed a big multi-level advertising rip-off that induced tens of 1000’s of victims to “make investments” lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
Palafox not solely directed the scheme, however he was its principal beneficiary, receiving over $30 million in fiat proceeds alone. He additionally acquired hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in bitcoin and money.
Each types of foreign money are simply transportable and transferrable, and thus can be utilized to facilitate flight.
Palafox has an intensive historical past of worldwide journey and has substantial ties to the Philippines. He has household within the nation and is a twin citizen, and as such, is ready to journey utilizing a passport which may be unknown to the U.S. authorities.
Simply previous to his arrest, Palafox was trying to journey to Mexico.
Palafox has additionally transferred substantial belongings to the Philippines. In 2020 and 2021, Palafox managed at the very least two financial institution accounts within the Philippines that every had balances of over $1 million.
Palafox didn’t disclose these overseas financial institution accounts to the Division of Treasury as required by regulation.
The funds in these accounts seem to have been drawn down in 2021 by withdrawals and transfers by Palafox, and the present location of these funds just isn’t identified.
Furthermore, Palafox was within the technique of transferring luxurious automobiles to the Philippines earlier than they have been seized by the Authorities.
The Authorities likewise has substantial issues that Palafox was not candid with the Justice of the Peace Choose within the unique detention listening to concerning his true belongings.
When arrested, Palafox and his partner have been driving a Mercedes Benz SUV, which is titled to Palafox’s spouse, and on the sentencing listening to, Palafox by means of counsel represented that he had “vital fairness” in his Porter Ranch home.
This home was bought for roughly $1.6 million in February 2021 on the top of the fraud. Id. at ¶ 14. Palafox, likewise, represented on the listening to that he owned a number of rental properties in Las Vegas, Nevada and acquired rental
earnings from these properties.The Authorities doesn’t know as of but, which properties Palafox was referencing, however believes that these too might need been bought with fraud proceeds.
Moreover Palafox’s Porter Ranch home is owned by an LLC, possession of the DOJ describes as “opaque”.
There are indications that third events, together with Palafox’s son and presumably his sister could have or have had an curiosity within the LCC, provided that they self-identified as “members” in company information from 2021.
Third events have additionally indicated that Palafox transferred the Porter Ranch home to BBMR Threshold Inc. to cover his possession of the asset.
Palafox didn’t disclose this info to the Justice of the Peace choose.
Furthermore, he didn’t disclose that he bought the house with proceeds from the fraud, and as such, the property could also be seized by the Authorities if Palafox is convicted.
It seems, after PGI International collapsed in 2021, Palafox has been anticipating his arrest;
Palafox has additionally actively sought to observe the standing of regulation enforcement efforts to arrest him, repeatedly directing members of his safety group to see if there was a warrant for his arrest, together with particularly inquiring if there was “any warrant on a Federal stage.”
And within the occasion he discovered of an arrest warrant, it seems Palafox meant to flee to Dubai;
Palafox commented to his bodyguard that Dubai doesn’t extradite people to the USA. I
That is notable as Palafox has beforehand traveled to Dubai and since financial institution information point out that $150,000 was transferred from certainly one of Praetorian Group Worldwide Buying and selling Inc’s checking account within the Philippines to Dubai for what seems to be the
buy of a condominium.
On April sixteenth the court docket scheduled Palafox’s arraignment and listening to on the DOJ’s detainment movement for April twenty second.
Palafox pled not responsible at his arraignment and the court docket ordered his detainment.
On the identical day, the court docket designated Palafox’s PGI International felony proceedings as a “complicated case”.
In some unspecified time in the future Palafox wound up in hospital whereas in custody. Particulars of Palafox’s hospital go to whereas in custody are beneath seal.
A Standing Convention was held three days afterward April twenty fifth. Doubtlessly throwing the entire PGI International felony case into jeopardy, Palafox’s detainment order was vacated.
As of April twenty fifth, 2025, as soon as launched from hospital Palafox can be launched pending trial on a $3 million unsecured look bond.
As per the phrases of his launch, Palafox can also be topic to 24/7 residence incarceration with GPS monitoring.
The SEC has additionally filed parallel civil fraud costs in opposition to Palafox and several other accomplices.
Keep tuned for updates as BehindMLM continues to trace each PGI International fraud circumstances.