Kristi Johnson, who operated the Achieve Community scheme, recently blamed global economic structures and "the system" for her company's failure to pay out investors. Johnson's latest message to participants arrived months after the scheme stopped processing payments, leaving invested funds in an unknown status. Achieve Community had promised investors an 800% return on $50 investments.
The company's payment issues began when Payoneer, a financial service provider, terminated its relationship with Achieve. This cut off the flow of new money, which is essential for Ponzi schemes to pay earlier investors with funds from later ones. Since then, Johnson has repeatedly announced a restart, none of which have materialized.
"I am not your enemy," Johnson wrote in her update. "The design of the Achieve program is not the problem." She asserted that the "enemy" is the financial structure of industry and the global economy, claiming this system ensures only 3% of people can make money. This echoes a common, but unsubstantiated, claim often heard in multi-level marketing (MLM) circles.
Johnson framed Achieve Community as fighting against "decades of thinking in terms of scarcity and inequality," and "industrialized fear of success." These statements offered no explanation for how the scheme intended to generate its promised 800% returns or why it failed to do so. Financial institutions typically disengage from such operations due to their illegal nature, not "indoctrination."
Achieve Community's business model lacked any discernible mechanism to sustain its exorbitant returns. Ponzi schemes are inherently unsustainable, collapsing once the inflow of new money ceases. This leaves late-stage investors with losses, while early participants, often including the scheme's operators, benefit.
Johnson encouraged investors to "find peace in this change" and "enjoy the ride," despite their money being gone. She offered no concrete details on fund recovery or accountability. The global economy does not make Ponzi schemes illegal; financial fraud laws do.
In a separate announcement, Johnson claimed to have secured preliminary approval from an unnamed payment processor. She stated the new processor would take three weeks to onboard, pushing for a quicker timeline. This new service would reportedly be more expensive but would offer Visa or MasterCard options, international access, and ATM compatibility. Johnson advised only members who purchased through September to sign up initially.
This is not the first time Johnson has announced a new payment solution. She previously claimed Global Cash Card (GCC) would process payments for Achieve. However, GCC declined to work with Achieve after conducting due diligence into its business model. The promised "three weeks" for the new processor provides Johnson with additional time, but industry observers anticipate further delays and continued non-payment to Achieve Community investors.