A Katy resident has pleaded guilty for his role in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 40 victims of over $17 million, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Christopher Knight Lopez, 40, admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
From May 2015 through January 2025, Lopez and his brother, Jayson Lopez, operated several limited liability companies including Knight Nguyen Investments and Aevum Holdings Inc., among others. They provided false information about the companies in which clients invested, using forged bank letters and fabricated account statements to mislead investors about financial strength.
The brothers misused client funds for personal expenses and paid supposed returns to other investors to give the impression of profitable investments. They also falsely claimed access to $2 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds and collected large advance fees from clients by promising loans that were never issued.
Victims included senior citizens, individuals investing retirement savings or children’s college funds, as well as local and international businesses. The losses totaled approximately $17 million.
“These defendants turned an investment firm into their own personal piggy bank, leaving shattered futures in their wake. Christopher Knight Lopez’s clients trusted him with their life savings—he rewarded that trust with lies in the form of false promises, forged documents, and fictitious assets,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas can be counted upon to relentlessly pursue those who would financially prey on members of our community. Be warned; if your business model is nothing more than a scam, and your clients are nothing more than intended victims, you can expect a visit from us.”
“For over a decade, Christopher Lopez shamelessly defrauded senior citizens, local businesses, close friends, and international acquaintances out of more than $17 million through deceit and lies,” said Special Agent in Charge of FBI Houston Jason Hudson. “Even after being federally charged, Lopez continued to scam victims, resulting in a superseding indictment. Today’s conviction is a testament to the FBI’s commitment to aggressively pursue fraudulent schemes that target members of our communities, especially our senior citizens.”
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison accepted the plea agreement and scheduled sentencing for May 7. Lopez faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible fine up to $250,000.
Jayson Lopez previously pleaded guilty to the same charge and is set for sentencing April 2, 2026.
Nadir Abdel Torres of Mandan, North Dakota also pleaded guilty for assisting the brothers by obtaining forged documents; he faces up to five years at his March 12 sentencing.
The FBI led the investigation with assistance from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin R. Martin is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is part of the Department of Justice under the Attorney General [source]. The office employs over 200 attorneys across six cities—including Houston—and covers federal cases across 43 counties with a population exceeding nine million [source]. The office has had leaders such as Alamdar Hamdani serve between 2022-2025 [source].
