Carlos Roy Watson

Carlos Watson was the founder and CEO of OZY Media, a digital media company that positioned itself as a platform for "new and next" voices. He was convicted at trial in July 2024 in the Eastern District of New York on charges arising from a years-long scheme to defraud investors and lenders out of tens of millions of dollars. Watson was found guilty of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The scheme involved systematically misrepresenting OZY's audience size, revenues, and business performance to attract investment. The aggravated identity theft charges stemmed from Watson's role in having co-conspirators impersonate executives at major media companies — including a YouTube executive — in communications with lenders and prospective investors, most notably on a call with Goldman Sachs. The fraud caused actual investor losses in excess of $60 million and was intended to deprive prospective investors of hundreds of millions more. The scheme first unraveled after a 2021 New York Times investigation exposed the impersonation.