{
  "id": 6570140,
  "title": "God told them to sell crypto. Their investors lost everything.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/god-told-them-to-sell-crypto-their-investors-lost-everything",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-10T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT Technology Review",
    "slug": "mit-technology-review",
    "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/10/1143588/indxcoin-god-regalados-sell-crypto-investors-lost-everything/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eli Regalado once believed he was hearing God speak to him. Now, he describes the experience as having \"a thought that is not my thought.\" These divine messages come to him while he prays, reads, or watches television. At times, they appear in prophetic dreams or from strangers. In mid-sentence, he pauses to ask God, \"Lord, what do you want to say here?\"\n\nHis wife, Kaitlyn, often receives heavenly guidance in the shower or while journaling. God has directed the Regalados in many aspects of their lives, from marriage and homeownership to starting a family. When Eli owned a marketing firm in Colorado, God told him what to name it, whom to hire, and which clients to take on. Later, God inspired the couple to embark on an unexpected new venture: cryptocurrency.\n\nIn October 2021, Eli's sister and her husband gave the Regalados some holdings in a little-known digital coin. God instructed him to give this to \"my people for a wealth transfer.\" Initially, the Regalados were hesitant, fearing a potential scam. Despite their lack of crypto expertise, they believed God wanted them to sell the cryptocurrency to fellow Christians. They named the new currency INDXcoin and promoted it through family, friends, and contacts in evangelical Christian communities.\n\nDebbie Bonilla, a retired pharmacy technician in her 70s, bought INDXcoin with her husband, Jose, after hearing about it from their minister and his wife. The couple learned about the currency through these friends. They trusted their judgment, believing it was a wave of the future. Debbie and Jose used a portion of their retirement savings, more than $70,000, to purchase INDXcoin. More than 500 people invested a total of over $3 million in the project.\n\nHowever, within a year after the Bonillas invested, the Regalados' cryptocurrency collapsed, leaving investors with nothing. Many are questioning whether they fell victim to fraud.",
  "summary": "This article was produced in partnership with Type Investigations and with support from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. When Eli Regalado first heard God speak to him, he wondered whether he was hallucinating. Now he likens the experience to having “a thought that is not my thought.” Divine words echo in his mind like a…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}