(As a disclaimer, this database is meant for educational purposes only, and was compiled through articles published on Ponzitracker as well as through reporting available on the internet through various sources. Individuals accused of Ponzi schemes are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Kathy Phelps' monthly Ponzi roundups at ThePonziSchemeBlog.com were also a great resource.  The database generally only included Ponzi schemes of $1 million or more.  Please feel free to direct any comments or inquiries to inquiries@ponzitracker.com.)

2013 Ponzi Scheme List

2013 was a busy year in the Ponzi Scheme world.  In total, at least 67 Ponzi schemes were uncovered, with the total cumulative dollar amount of nearly $3,000,000,000 - that's 3 billion dollars.  This equated to the discovery of a Ponzi scheme (1) more than once per week, (2) every 5.4 days, or (3) every 130 hours.  This included at least eight Ponzi schemes with estimated losses of at least $100,000,000 or more, with Edward Fujinaga's estimated $800,000,000 Ponzi scheme ranking as the largest Ponzi scheme exposed in 2013.

A full list of Ponzi schemes uncovered in 2013, arranged by date, is below:

In terms of sentences handed down, at least 117 offenders received prison sentences that totaled more than 1,000 years.  These sentences ranged from mere months to decades in prison, with Karen Bowie's 42-year sentence ranking as the highest Ponzi sentence handed down in 2013.  The total dollar amount of the Ponzi schemes for which sentences were levied: over $13 billion. 

A full database of the sentences handed down in 2013 is below:

 Ponzi schemers receiving prison sentences in 2013 hailed from more than half of the fifty states, with California, Texas, Florida, and New York unsurprisingly harboring over 40% of the offenders.  A chart displaying the amount of sentenced offenders per state is below: