Daniel Fernandes Rojo Filho, 47, of Orlando, Florida, faces a federal wire fraud charge stemming from an arrest warrant request filed by the FBI in Massachusetts on June 25th. This criminal action, alleging a scheme to defraud investors through DFRF Enterprises, preceded a civil complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Filho on July 3rd.

The FBI's request detailed one count of wire fraud, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. This federal statute prohibits schemes to defraud individuals of money or property by using interstate wire communications, which include electronic transmissions like emails, phone calls, or bank transfers. An accompanying affidavit from an FBI Special Agent provided the basis for the charge.

Filho's alleged activities, beginning in June 2014, involved soliciting money from individuals for investment in DFRF Enterprises. He and others acting under his direction reportedly made a series of false claims to secure these funds. Investors were told DFRF owned and operated gold mines in Africa and South America. They received assurances that their investments were 100% insured and that they could withdraw their principal at any time.

The FBI affidavit asserts that Filho never invested the money as promised. Instead, he used the funds for personal expenses and other unrelated business ventures. This diversion of investor capital formed a central part of the alleged fraud.

Specific instances of deception were highlighted in the criminal filing. Filho claimed that Geosol, a Brazilian company, had verified the value of DFRF's gold deposits in Brazil. Geosol later posted a notice on its corporate website, explicitly stating it had never provided services to DFRF Enterprises, directly contradicting Filho's assertions.

Filho also represented that DFRF sent investor money to PST in Switzerland. However, the FBI affidavit states that DFRF never transferred any funds to PST. Swiss authorities further confirmed that PST is not authorized to conduct banking activities in Switzerland. These claims of Swiss banking ties provided a false sense of security and legitimacy to the investment.

Another key component of the alleged scheme involved an entity named Accedium, which Filho claimed insured DFRF investments. Bank records reviewed by investigators show no payments made to any company named Accedium. A DFRF video posted in December 2014 had promoted this insurance claim.

Investigators also examined checks that Filho and his associates generated, which purported to represent "members'" initial, principal investments. These documents were part of the mechanism used to perpetuate the fraud. The criminal investigation continues to examine the full scope of DFRF Enterprises' operations and the extent of the alleged wire fraud.

Victims of financial fraud can find resources and reporting mechanisms through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.