The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is accusing the men who bought bankrupt chains RadioShack, Modell’s Sporting Goods, and Pier 1 Imports of running a Ponzi scheme that duped investors out of tens of millions of dollars.  A complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday, alleges the co-founders of Miami-based Retail Ecommerce Ventures, Alex Mehr and Tai Lopez, together with the company's Chief Operating Officer Maya Burkenroad, raised approximately $112 ...

Ramil Palafox, the chief executive officer of a Bitcoin trading and multi-level marketing firm, pled guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on Sep. 16, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. Palafox is 60 years old and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Philippines. He owned and operated Praetorian Group International (PGI) where he also served as chairman, CEO, and chief promoter. At PGI, he operated a Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 90,000 investors. Related: What is Crypto? Crypto ...

2013 HBS MBA Vladimir Artamonov has been arrested and indicted in federal court on fraud and other charges Vladimir Artamonov, a 2013 graduate of Harvard Business School, has been indicted in federal court for allegedly defrauding classmates and other investors out of more than $4 million, according to reports in multiple news outlets. Artamonov was arrested earlier this week in Elkridge, Maryland, and charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and investment adviser fraud in the U.S. District Court f ...

A Harvard Business School graduate was arrested Thursday on fraud charges alleging he swindled fellow alumni of the prestigious school out of over $4 million in a Ponzi scheme, even assuring one investor they would soon “brag” about their “crazy gains” at the school’s reunion.Vladimir Artamonov, 46, was taken into custody in Elkridge, Maryland, where he lived, and was charged with securities, wire and investment adviser fraud for allegedly carrying out the scheme from September 2021 through February 2024.An ...

Ramil Ventura Palafox, the chief executive of a bitcoin investment and multi-level marketing firm, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. According to federal authorities, he orchestrated a Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 90,000 global investors. The 60-year-old dual citizen of the United States and the Philippines admitted in federal court that he used Praetorian Group International (PGI) to lure investors with false promises of daily profits. Between December 2019 and October 2021 ...

公司高管变动 - 总部位于华盛顿州安吉利斯港的第一西北银行任命资深金融服务高管Curt Queyrouze为新任首席执行官 自9月17日起生效[1][2] - Queyrouze此前在华盛顿州埃弗里特市资产45亿美元的Coastal Financial担任总裁 任期三年 更早前于2016至2022年担任犹他州奥格登市资产17亿美元的TAB银行首席执行官[2][6][7] - 临时首席执行官Geraldine Bullard将回归原职 担任执行副总裁兼首席运营官[10] 法律纠纷与财务影响 - 公司涉及由借款方Water Station策划的2亿美元庞氏骗局 对冲基金352 Capital提起1.06亿美元诉讼指控银行协助欺诈[3][7] - 银行已与部分Water Station投资者达成和解 同意支付287万至574万美元 但否认存在不当行为[3] - 截至3月31日的季度财报显示亏损900万美元 其中包含为预期和解计提的580万美元法律准备金[4] - 银行在8月7日提交的10-Q报告中表示 将继续强烈反驳352 Capital的指控[4] 高管背景与市场评价 - 新任首席执行官拥有40年金融服务从业经验 被Piper Sandler董事总经理Nathan Race评价为"合理且出色的CEO人选"[10] - Coastal Financial首席执行官Eric Sprink对任命表示祝贺 称此举如同"超级碗冠军球队被挖走最佳球员"[11] - Queyrouze在新闻稿中强调将延续银行百年历史 为股东创造长期价值并建设现代化金融机构[9] 庞氏骗局案件细节 - Water Station被指控通过销售饮水机设备从投资者处募集超2亿美元资金 部分通过小企业管理局7(a)贷款实现[12] - 政府指控多数设备不存在 部分设备放置地点与承诺不符 最终使用新投资者资金支付承诺收益[12] - 纽约南区联邦检察官已对352 Capital投资组合经理Jordan Chirico提出指控 涉及其购买1亿美元Water Station债券时的投资顾问欺诈[11] - Water Station所有者Ryan Wear被控证券欺诈和电信欺诈[12]

案件核心判决 - 德州法院拒绝Nathan Fuller的破产保护申请 使其个人承担超过1250万美元债务[1] - 法院于2024年8月1日对Fuller作出缺席判决 因其未回应美国受托人计划(USTP)的指控[3] 欺诈操作细节 - Fuller通过Privvy Investments LLC公司运作加密货币庞氏骗局 将投资者资金用于奢侈品消费、赌博旅行以及为前妻购买价值近100万美元房产[1] - 在2024年10月申请破产后 调查发现其隐瞒大量资产、伪造记录并作伪证[2] - 债务人承认伪造文件推动骗局运行 并在破产程序中提供虚假证词阻碍Chapter 7受托人工作[2] 资金规模与资产处置 - 未担保债权金额超过1250万美元 债权人可继续直接追偿[3] - 资产已被投资者诉讼中的接管人扣押 破产申请前已发生资产转移行为[2] 监管立场 - 美国受托人计划强调将持续监控不诚实债务人案件 以维护破产系统的完整性[2][3] - 区域受托人Kevin Epstein明确表示欺诈者无法通过破产程序洗白其骗局[2]

The U.S. Trustee Program (USTP) has secured a judgment denying bankruptcy protection to a Texas man who attempted to evade more than $12.5 million in debts linked to a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. On August 1, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas entered a default judgment against Nathan Fuller, owner of Privvy Investments LLC. Fuller had filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2024, shortly after a state court appointed a receiver to seize his assets following investor lawsuits. But ...

公司调查 - 律师事务所Pomerantz LLP正在调查XP Inc可能存在的证券欺诈或其他非法商业行为 [1] - 调查涉及公司及其部分高管和/或董事 [1] 做空报告指控 - Grizzly Research发布报告指控XP运营"庞氏骗局" [3] - 报告称公司通过向零售客户销售某些衍生品来实施骗局 这些资金通过特殊基金流转并被虚假陈述为自营交易利润 [3] - 报告发布后 XP股价单日下跌0.82美元(5.48%)至14.14美元 [3] 律师事务所背景 - Pomerantz LLP在证券集体诉讼领域具有领先地位 [4] - 该律所已为客户追回多笔数百万美元的赔偿 [4]