The alleged Ponzi scheme operated from at least February 1995. Up to 80 investors are involved. Civil charges were filed in federal court in Philadelphia on January 7, 2009 by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission with the help of the Securities and Exchange Commission.[3][4] Forte's assets were frozen by the court, but no criminal charges have been filed. Forte allegedly confessed to spending $10-12 million on himself, while using $15-20 million to pay off other investors. The rest may have been lost in trading in futures contracts on the S&P 500 index, foreign currencies, or metals. According to the SEC, Forte reported to his investors that his fund's value was over $154 million, while the actual balance was $146,814. In late December 2008, he turned himself in to authorities. Guess he didn’t have the stomach to jump out of a plane like his mate Marcus the skydiver.