You used the magic word, "Ponzi:" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi Not only did Ponzi bring this scheme

You used the magic word, "Ponzi:" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi Not only did Ponzi bring this scheme (which is far older than him) to the public's attention, but he also "got in over his head." He wound up running the scheme far longer than he wanted or needed, for the (correctly divined) fear of it suddenly collapsing. A similar thing happened with Bernie Madoff, if his account is given credence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Madoff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Madoff