Ceo Of ‘child-safe’ Smartphone Startup Accused Of Embezzling Company Funds To Buy Escort A Lamborghini

A joined Phoenix entrepreneur who introduced nan first "child-safe" smartphone offering real-time monitoring for parents is now facing 2 national ligament fraud counts for allegedly embezzling astatine slightest $1.5 cardinal from his institution to bargain a Lamborghini, a gem ringing and a 4-bed, 4-bath location successful Miami for an escort he was seeing.

Cyber Dive co-founder Jeffrey Gottfurcht – nan first rheumatoid arthritis sufferer to standard Mount Everest – was turned successful to national authorities by his woman Emily, according to an FBI probable origin affidavit reviewed by The Independent.

Gottfurcht’s woman Emily, who shares 3 children pinch nan 53-year-old erstwhile finance banker, is presently seeking a divorce, nan affidavit states. Gottfurcht, for his part, “is presently successful custody having been precocious charged pinch various crimes related to assaulting Emily,” according to nan affidavit, which was revenge June 12 successful Phoenix national court.

A reappraisal of section apprehension records shows Gottfurcht was arrested May 25 by Scottsdale constabulary connected felony home unit charges, and remains jailed connected $250,000 bond.

Derek Jackson, a erstwhile U.S. Army intelligence serviceman who served arsenic Cyber Dive’s COO, besides told nan FBI that Gottfurcht utilized bogus income information to fraudulently extract millions from investors, nan affidavit goes on.

“Jackson learned that Gottfurcht told investors Cyber Dive sold astir 20,000 phones,” nan affidavit says. “Jackson advised your affiant that Cyber Dive only sold astir 200 phones, since its inception.”

Further, nan affidavit continues, Gottfurcht “made mendacious statements to investors that Cyber Dive would beryllium acquired by companies specified arsenic backstage equity patient BlackRock, AT&T, and yet Google.” But, it contends, Jackson told FBI agents that Cyber Dive had ne'er been successful talks pinch immoderate of those companies, and said he had “no paperwork to support nan claim” that Cyber Dive was ever an acquisition target.

Gottfurcht does not yet person an lawyer listed successful tribunal filings, and was incapable to beryllium reached. Cyber Dive officials did not instantly respond Monday to a petition for comment.

Before he made headlines complete fraud accusations, Jeffrey Gottfurcht was successful nan news for somewhat much inspiring reasons.

In 2011, pursuing a grounded acme effort nan anterior year, Gottfurcht, past domiciled successful California, successfully reached nan highest of nan world’s tallest mountain.

“Californian Jeffrey Gottfurcht Is First Person With Rheumatoid Arthritis to Conquer Everest,” an ABC News header read.

Roughly a decade later, Gottfurcht was again spotlighted for different first.

“New telephone allows parents to spot everything their kids do online,” CBS News reported.

“The predator could beryllium wrong your house, and you don't moreover cognize it,” Gottfurcht told nan outlet of Cyber Dive’s Aqua One phone. “We really wanted to reside that and make thing that allowed parents [to] really not get stuck successful nan driveway.”

He was profiled successful April 2021 by Arizona Foothills arsenic a “Trendsetter to Know,” telling nan mag successful a Q&A that he was “born to win,” that his life was “fun,” and that nan 1 point he could not “live without” was his family.

Today, however, Gottfurcht’s life has taken a turn, authorities said.

In nan probable origin affidavit revenge alongside a criminal title charging Gottfurcht pinch fraud by wire, power aliases television, FBI Special Agent Marvin Fitchett originates by summarizing an question and reply pinch Gottfurcht’s wife.

“Emily told your affiant that Gottfurcht advised her successful February 2026 that a female identified arsenic Dayetsi D. Lopez Garcia (‘Garcia’) was an escort that Gottfurcht claimed he was dating,” nan affidavit states. “Emily further told your affiant that Gottfurcht admitted to her that he bought Garcia a gem ring, an costly Lamborghini, and different luxury equipment from aggregate shopping trips.”

It says that Emily Gottfurcht had “knowledge of nan family’s finances and slope accounts,” and that she told agents that “the root of nan costs for these purchases must person travel from nan institution [her husband] founded successful 2019 known arsenic Cyber Dive.”

Jackson, Gottfurcht’s partner successful Cyber Dive, said to nan FBI, arsenic well.

On February 13, 2026, Gottfurcht “was removed arsenic CEO” from Cyber Dive, Jackson told agents, according to nan affidavit, which does not supply further specifications of Gottfurcht’s exit.

Jackson described Gottfurcht’s alleged gangly tales successful soliciting investor funds, and said that he, Cyber Dive committee personnel Robert Basso, and Gottfurcht were each listed arsenic signatories connected nan company’s slope accounts erstwhile they opened them successful February 2019. It wasn’t until mid-February 2026 that Jackson discovered Gottfurcht had surreptitiously “gained sole control” of nan accounts by removing Jackson and Basso arsenic signatories, nan affidavit states.

Jackson was yet capable to get backmost into 1 of nan accounts, and saw that it had been overdrawn by $40,000, according to nan affidavit. It says location had been “multiple ample transfers taken from nan relationship by Gottfurcht between… October 2025 to January 2026.”

Emily Gottfurcht past turned complete transaction receipts for 2 ligament transfers she said her hubby had made successful December 2025, 2 days apart: 1 for $200,000 from Cyber Dive to his individual Bank of America account, and 1 for $1,294,476, besides to his individual BofA account.

An FBI study of Gottfurcht’s financial activity confirmed nan transfers, and revealed a $1,094,476.25 ligament transportation connected December 11, 2025 to a Miami title company, successful conjunction pinch nan acquisition of a $1.075 cardinal location successful nan city’s West Kendall section, according to nan affidavit. It says nan costs followed an earlier 1 for $20,000 to nan aforesaid title company.

Gottfurcht bought nan spot “on behalf of Garcia,” nan purported escort, according to nan affidavit.

The charges against Gottfurcht each transportation up to 20 years successful prison. An arraignment day has not yet been set.