yet, Forbes 30 under 30 list It has become somewhat infamous for the amount of entrants accused of cheating. Notable alumni include FTX founder Sam Bankman Freud, Frank CEO Charlie Javis, Joanna Smith Griffin, founder of AI startup All Her Education, and “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, among others. Now, another member of that list is facing federal charges.

26-year-old Turkish citizen and fintech startup founder and CEO, Goke Gyun Calderwas Charged last week With alleged securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and identity theft on the rise.

The New York-based fintech startup—which uses “change your rewards [a] Revenue Engine “tagline – says it can help companies create and monetize individual rewards programs. The company was founded in 2022, and gives participating companies the opportunity to earn ongoing revenue streams through partner-related sales, pivots.” was reported earlier.

Gavin was included in last year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Magazine Note in writing Gavin’s clients included major chocolatier Godiva and the International Air Transport Association, the trade organization that represents the majority of the world’s airlines. Calder has also claimed to have enjoyed his backing Several prominent VC firms.

The US Department of Justice alleges that, during Calder Seed round In April of 2024, Gavin managed to raise $7 million from more than a dozen investors who were excited by misinformation after presenting a pitch deck.

According to the government, Calder’s pitch deck claimed that 26 brands were “using Calder” and 53 more in “direct freemium.” However, officials say that, in reality, Calder was, in many cases, only offering heavily discounted pilot programs to many of these companies. Officials said in a press release announcing the indictment that the other brands “had no contracts with Calder — not even for free services.” PitchDeck also falsely stated that Calder’s recurring revenue had grown consistently month over month from February 2023 and by March 2024, Calder had reached $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue. ”

The government has also accused Gavin of keeping two separate sets of financial books. The government claims that one of the sets contained “false and inflated figures”, and was presented to investors or potential investors to hide the “true financial condition of the company”. The DOJ also alleges that Gavin used lies about Calder, as well as forged documents, to obtain a category of visas reserved for people with “exceptional abilities,” which would allow him to live and work in the United States.

TechCrunch reached out to Gavin through his personal website. The CEO said she would share a statement about the allegations on Tuesday.