Los Angeles, California — A man who posed as a European nobleman is set to plead guilty to running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded the Filipino community, mainly targeting elderly churchgoers. Sylvein William Maximilian D’Habsburg XVII, 48, of West Hills, California, falsely claimed to be a descendant of European royalty and deceived victims into investing over $5.9 million.
From 2018 to 2023, D’Habsburg operated under a name he legally changed to mirror the prestigious House of Habsburg. During this time, he promoted fraudulent investment opportunities through his companies, Wild Rabbit Technologies LLC and BAI Intelligence LLC.
He misled potential investors by claiming that his artificial intelligence could predict the future and detect diseases like COVID-19. D’Habsburg also falsely boasted that he had secured significant investments from celebrities like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Steve Wozniak.
Instead of using the funds for business development, D’Habsburg bought luxury cars and rare antiques. Prosecutors have confirmed that his actions caused victims a total loss of $5.9 million.
D’Habsburg is scheduled to plead guilty to wire fraud charges, which could result in a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. This case has left many in the Filipino community devastated, especially those who trusted him with their hard-earned savings.
