Feds: Orlando crypto firmCEO lived a high life onothers’ money

The federal charges were no surprise to Danny de Hek, a New Zealand blogger sued for defamation last year by Goliath Ventures for accusatory articles and videos he posted about the company and Delgado. In the posts, de Hek called out Goliath as a Ponzi scheme defrauding its investors. “I have no personal vendetta, mate. Never invested in a Ponzi scheme,” said de Hek, whose internet investigations were highlighted in a New York Times story in 2022. “What I’ve found is I don’t believe anyone gets any real justice in these cases so I cause disruption in this industry.” The 124-page lawsuit filed against de Hek in September in Circuit Court in Orlando said, “Over the span of mere weeks, defendant Danny de Hek, the self-styled ‘Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger,’ unleashed a relentless online smear campaign against plaintiffs Goliath Ventures, Inc. and its CEO, Chris Delgado.” The blogger told the Sentinel he had no money to hire a lawyer but planned to fight the lawsuit as best he could unless he could find an attorney in America willing to take up his defense. That might not be necessary now. In the wake of Delgado’s arrest, the lawsuit was dismissed by company lawyers Thursday, though they left open the possibility they’d refile it.