Gökçe Güven, founder and CEO of New York fintech Kalder and a 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, was federally indicted on charges alleging she raised roughly $7 million through fabricated revenues and client claims. Prosecutors allege forged documents, dual accounting, and misuse of an O‑1 visa; Güven was arrested in Manhattan and faces securities and wire fraud counts.

U.S. prosecutors unsealed an indictment in early February accusing fintech founder Gökçe Güven of orchestrating a fundraising fraud that purportedly raised about $7 million from investors by presenting a pitch deck with fabricated revenues, invented client relationships, and materially false performance metrics. The 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 alum is alleged to have maintained two sets of books to conceal shortfalls and used forged documentation to obtain an O‑1 visa granting her extraordinary ability status for immigration purposes. Charges include securities fraud, wire fraud, and related counts that carry substantial federal exposure if convictions follow. Authorities say the alleged conduct deceived sophisticated angel and institutional investors who believed they were backing a scaling payments and lending product; prosecutors also flagged potential cross‑border document forgeries tied to visa applications. The arrest in Manhattan has prompted scrutiny of due diligence practices in early‑stage fintech investing, investor recovery prospects in criminal proceedings, and the reputational fallout for accelerators and firms that highlighted Güven’s achievements. Legal proceedings are expected to reveal detailed transactional and communication evidence.