Rosa María González, key figure in Generación Zoe collapse, captured after four years on the run.
Venezuelan authorities have arrested Rosa María González, one of the key figures in the collapse of Argentine crypto company Generación Zoe, nearly four years after the scandal that defrauded tens of thousands of investors. González, 30, was captured in San Cristóbal, in Táchira state, during an Interpol operation.
González is accused of fleeing Argentina with 611 Bitcoin, worth approximately $56 million at current prices. She spent years evading authorities, moving between Buenos Aires apartments with private security before crossing the Venezuelan border, according to local reports. Her arrest comes almost exactly one year after Leonardo Cositorto, founder of Generación Zoe, was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Generación Zoe promised investors unusually high returns, claiming to use proprietary trading algorithms with so-called “quantum security.” In reality, according to investigators, the company operated a classic Ponzi scheme, paying old investors with funds from new participants. González had allegedly introduced Cositorto to the trading algorithms that became the centerpiece of the fraud. In promotional videos, she claimed the algorithms could generate monthly returns of up to 70%.
After the company’s collapse in mid-2022, González remained active in the crypto world attempting to devise new schemes. Sources report she tried to launch a new plan targeting Argentine investors, promising monthly returns of 5% on stakes of $1,000 or more, using crypto transactions through companies allegedly based in the United Kingdom. She reportedly funded former associates in Venezuela to recruit investors and manage the new project. Early reports suggest the plan defrauded at least a dozen individuals, totaling approximately $300,000.
González’s extradition to Argentina is expected to be difficult. Argentina severed diplomatic relations with Venezuela in 2024 and currently no embassy operates in Caracas. Brazil, which had handled diplomatic affairs, recently withdrew, leaving no country responsible for Argentine interests. Interpol officials have told local media that sending federal police to Venezuela is not safe, complicating any repatriation. Cositorto has called on González to cooperate, expressing hope that her testimony could help recover some of the defrauded funds.
