AirBit Club
A global multi-level-marketing 'crypto mining/trading' club (2015–2020) that the U.S. DOJ says was a ~$100M Ponzi scheme. Members saw fake on-screen 'profits' they could not withdraw. Founders and promoters pleaded guilty; co-founder Rodriguez was sentenced to 12 years.
Also known as: AirBit Club, Pablo Renato Rodriguez, Gutemberg Dos Santos
Summary
AirBit Club marketed itself from 2015 as a multi-level-marketing cryptocurrency "mining and trading" club promising guaranteed daily returns. The U.S. DOJ says it was a Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims of about $100 million; no actual mining or trading took place, and members could not withdraw their fake on-screen "profits". [1][2]
Outcome
Co-founders Pablo Renato Rodriguez and Gutemberg Dos Santos, several promoters, and an attorney pleaded guilty to fraud and money-laundering conspiracies. In 2023 Rodriguez was sentenced to 12 years and others to terms ranging from about a year upward; the U.S. has forfeited assets to compensate victims. [1][2]
Bracketed numbers refer to the numbered sources listed below.
Linked scams & cases
- JuicyFieldsRelatedProjectsA purported medicinal-cannabis 'e-growing' investment platform that was in fact a Ponzi scheme. From 2020 to 2022 it took about €645M (~$688M) from ~186,000 investors with promises of 6–14% monthly returns, then froze withdrawals. Europol coordinated nine arrests in April 2024.
- OmegaProRelatedProjectsA global multi-level-marketing scheme that sold 'investment packages' promising 300% returns over 16 months from purported forex trading, paid in crypto. Per the U.S. DOJ it raised over $650M from thousands of investors, then collapsed in 2022 blaming a 'hack'; founders were indicted in 2025.
- Pincoin / iFan (Modern Tech)
People & entities involved
- Pablo Renato RodriguezCo-founderIndividualsCo-founder of AirBit Club, a ~$100M global cryptocurrency pyramid scheme. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2023 to 12 years in prison, with a $65M forfeiture.
- Gutemberg Dos SantosCo-founderIndividualsCo-founder of the ~$100M AirBit Club crypto pyramid scheme. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2023 to 40 months in prison, with forfeiture of assets.
Sources (2)
See also
- Loci (LOCIcoin)TokensA 2017–2018 ICO for 'LOCIcoin' tied to the InnVenn IP-search platform. The SEC charged Loci and CEO John Wise with fraud for raising $7.6M on false claims about revenue, headcount, and user base; Wise also misused investor funds. Settled with a $7.6M penalty and an officer/director bar.
- Blockchain Terminal (BCT)TokensA 2017–2018 ICO (BCT tokens, ~$30M) for a 'Blockchain Terminal' — a Bloomberg-style crypto trading terminal. The SEC and DOJ said convicted ex-hedge-funder Boaz Manor secretly ran it under a fake identity ('Shaun MacDonald'), using associate Edith Pardo as a front, and lied about the product's adoption.
- Crowd Machine (CMCT)Tokens
This page was last updated on Jun 8, 2026. View revision history.