At the beginning of his "business" Charles Ponzi had also paid high yields to some of his customers. He had even paid after one month, not after one year lol

In his last interview he justified what he did this way:
"Even if they never got anything for it, it was cheap at that price. Without malice aforethought I had given them the best show that was ever staged in their territory since the landing of the Pilgrims! It was easily worth fifteen million bucks to watch me put the thing over."