A Fintech executive and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum have been indicted on fraud charges

Currently, the Forbes 30 Under 30 list has become famous for the number of entrants who have gone on to be charged with fraud. Notable alumni include FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Frank CEO Charlie Javice, Joanna Smith-Griffin, founder of AI startup AllHere Education, and “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, among others. Now, another member of the list has been hit with federal charges.

Gökçe Güven, a 26-year-old Turkish national and founder and CEO of fintech startup Kalder, was indicted last week on charges of fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

A fintech startup based in New York — that uses “Turn Your Rewards into [a] “Revenue Engine” tagline – says it can help companies create and monetize individual rewards programs. The company was founded in 2022, and offers participating firms the opportunity to earn revenue streams through affiliate sales, Axios previously reported.

Güven was included in last year’s list of Forbes 30 Under 30. The magazine notes in the article that Güven’s clients include the great chocolatier Godiva and the International Air Transport Association, a trade organization that represents most of the world’s airlines. Kalder also said he enjoyed the support of a number of prominent VC firms.

The US Department of Justice says that, during Kalder’s seed round in April of 2024, Güven was able to raise $7 million from more than a dozen investors after launching a platform full of false information.

According to the government, Kalder’s pitch deck says there are 26 brands that “use Kalder” and another 53 that are “live freemium.” However, officials say that, in fact, Kalder has, in many cases, been offering significantly discounted test plans to many of those companies. Some brands “did not have an agreement with Kalder—even for free services,” officials said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. The pitch floor also “falsely reported that Kalder’s revenue has grown steadily month over month since February 2023 and that by March 2024, Kalder had reached $1.2 million in annual revenue.”

The government also accuses Güven of keeping two separate sets of financial books. One of the sets included “false and inflated numbers,” and was presented to investors or potential investors to hide “the company’s true financial condition,” the government said. The DOJ also alleges that Güven used lies about Kalder and forged documents to obtain a category of visas reserved for people with “extraordinary ability,” which would allow him to live and work in the United States.

TechCrunch reached out to Güven through his personal website. The CEO said he would issue a statement on the charges on Tuesday.