The top finisher in last week’s Apopka mayoral election announced Monday he had some professional ties to Christopher Delgado, the former Orlando cryptocurrency CEO accused of running a massive Ponzi scheme.
Apopka Commissioner Nick Nesta, one of two candidates heading to an April 14 runoff, explained in a Facebook post Monday that he had represented Delgado in some real estate deals. Nesta is a realtor and owner of Nesta Real Estate Consultants.
But Nesta also said he never invested any money with Delgado, nor had any other financial ties to him.
Federal authorities say Delgado’s company, Goliath Ventures, defrauded investors of at least $328 million and that Delgado lived the high life on other people’s money, including the purchase of four residential properties each worth between $1.15 million and $8.5 million.
“As part of my work in real estate, I represented Christopher Delgado to buy and sell homes through normal arms-length transactions,” Nesta wrote on Facebook. “Like any home purchase, those sales were completed through licensed lenders and required full lender approval of the home loans.”
Delgado also owns a home in Apopka, where he is registered to vote. Federal authorities described Delgado as an Apopka resident when they announced his arrest.
Nesta declined an interview request made Monday by the Orlando Sentinel. His campaign did not immediately respond to an emailed list of questions.
Exterior of the Christopher Delgado’s $3.2 million home at 141 South Phelps Avenue in Winter Park, on Thursday, February 26, 2026. Nick Nesta’s real estate business appears to have been involved in its sale to Delgado. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
An Aug. 1 Instagram post by Nesta’s real estate business shows it was involved in the sale of one of the four homes prosecutors say Delgado bought with others’ money, a $3.2 million, six-bedroom, six-bathroom home in Winter Park. Property records show Delgado bought the home one day before the post was made.
“SOLD – Congratulations to our buyers, official new owners of this stunning estate,” the post read. The names of the buyers were not mentioned.
Nesta also wrote on Facebook that Delgado had once donated to one of his prior campaigns, but did not specify which campaign nor the value of the donation. Delgado made a Facebook post in 2024 supporting Nesta’s campaign for the Apopka city commission that year.
Nesta came in first place during Tuesday’s election, winning about 42% of the vote. Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore received about 32% of the vote and will also advance to the runoff. Incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson received about 27% of the vote and was eliminated.
Nelson confirmed Monday he had endorsed Moore as his successor.
Nesta, in his Facebook post, said he wanted to address questions circulating about his relationship with Delgado and that his opponents, whom he did not name, wanted to use the relationship against him.
Moore, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon, posted about Delgado on Facebook early Monday morning but did not mention Nesta.
“Complaints on Delgado go back to 2023,” Moore wrote above a link to a Sentinel column on the accused fraudster. “For me they go back to 2022 while he was donating $1,000 checks to schools. It was highly suspicious.”
Delgado dipped his toe into local politics in 2022, when he poured more than $100,000 into a campaign aimed at unseating Moore from the Orange County Commission, campaign finance records show. She said he rarely attended campaign forums, and he came in third.
“He got 5,000 votes,” Moore wrote. “More importantly, I grieve for those who lost their life savings.”