FBI Adds Detroit-Area Ponzi Scheme Suspect to Most Wanted Fraudsters List, Offers $150,000 Reward

The FBI Detroit Field Office has added a Metro Detroit-linked fraud suspect to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list and is offering up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest, nearly three years after he disappeared following his release on bond.

Darren Anthony Robinson, 56, is accused of orchestrating a Ponzi scheme that cost investors around the world roughly $100 million, with a large share of victims coming from southeast Michigan. The FBI says it has not seen or heard from him since November 2023, when he is believed to have cut off his court-ordered GPS tether while in Atlanta.

"Behind the alleged losses are real people, including retirees, families, and individuals who entrusted their savings to what they believed were legitimate investment opportunities," said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, in a statement announcing the renewed search.

Robinson was first charged in June 2023 with a single count of wire fraud. A federal grand jury indicted him the following year on 11 counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Combined, the charges carry a potential sentence of more than 200 years in prison.

Robinson's disappearance traces back to a bond hearing in Detroit in June 2023, when he was released from custody under several conditions, including wearing a GPS monitoring device. Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen granted that release. Whalen did not return messages seeking comment on the case.

Court records show Robinson was later permitted to travel to Atlanta to meet with his attorney. Investigators believe he removed the tether there and has been a fugitive ever since.

According to federal prosecutors, Robinson began running an operation called QYU around 2010. The company marketed itself as a "boutique professional trading firm" specializing in commodities and foreign exchange markets, working out of offices tied to Panama and the Cayman Islands.

Prosecutors say the business was never a legitimate trading operation but a Ponzi scheme built on promises of outsized returns. In one pitch cited in court records, QYU told investors that a $100,000 investment made in 2014 would balloon to more than $2 million by 2021.

Metro Detroit investors made up a significant portion of the victims, collectively putting in tens of millions of dollars. One victim alone gave Robinson more than $1 million, according to federal prosecutors. Other investors were spread across the country and internationally, including in Canada.

Prosecutors describe a classic Ponzi structure: new investor money was used to pay off earlier investors and create the appearance of legitimate returns, while a portion was diverted to running QYU and financing Robinson's personal spending. That spending reportedly included roughly $800,000 used to purchase property in the United Arab Emirates.

By placing Robinson on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list, the FBI is hoping to widen the pool of people who might recognize him or know his whereabouts. The bureau is offering as much as $150,000 for information that leads to his arrest and conviction.

"Robinson's addition to the Most Wanted Fraudsters list expands awareness of this case and reinforces that our efforts to locate him have not stopped," Runyan said. "If you know where Darren Anthony Robinson is, we want to hear from you."

The FBI Detroit Field Office is asking anyone with information on Robinson's location to contact the bureau or submit a tip through its website. The reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction remains up to $150,000.