Efrain Betancourt, Jr., a 36-year-old Colombian citizen, was arrested on November 14, 2024, upon entering the United States and charged in South Florida federal court for his role in orchestrating a $66 million Ponzi scheme through his company, Sky Group USA, LLC (Sky Group).
Betancourt was indicted on September 12, 2024, for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and wire fraud, with the indictment unsealed on November 18. The charges stem from Betancourt’s fraudulent operation of Sky Group, which he marketed as a payday loan company that offered investors promissory notes promising returns of 24 to 120 percent annually.
According to the indictment, Betancourt and others misled investors by claiming their funds would be used to issue payday loans, with the interest from those loans purportedly used to repay the investors. However, millions of dollars raised from new investors were instead used to pay returns to earlier investors in a typical Ponzi scheme fashion. Betancourt also allegedly diverted over $7.5 million for personal expenses, including funding a lavish wedding in France, purchasing expensive jewelry, a Miami condominium, and taking luxury vacations.
Sky Group attracted more than 600 investors, many of whom were Venezuelan nationals.
If convicted, Betancourt faces up to 140 years in prison. The sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), and the FBI’s South Florida Fraud Task Force, with assistance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Betancourt had previously faced parallel proceedings from the SEC, which were resolved in 2022. The prosecution is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz.
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