September was an active month for Ponzi litigation with nearly a dozen new complaints filed alleging fraudulent investment activity. The SEC continues to drive Ponzi-related litigation; in addition to four enforcement actions brought last month, previous SEC litigation precipitated several complaints filed by investors and court-appointed receivers. Consistent with the trends discussed in Ponzi Perspective’s

Notable litigation filed during August 2023 includes: (1) SEC v. Rocha; (2) Legum v. Garfinkel, et al.; and (3) SEC v. Conn. Jr.

SEC v. Rocha, No. 1:23-cv-11779-LTS (D. Mass.)

The SEC filed suit against the schemer defendant for losses arising from an alleged Ponzi wherein the defendant promised to invest the

Notable litigation filed during June 2023 includes: (1) Bowman v. Unibank; (2) SEC v. Baston; (3) Hafen v. Guyon, et al.; (4) SEC v. Royal Bengal Logistics, et al.; (5) Decimal Capital Partners v. Benavente; and (6) Agri Capital v. Soberal, et al.

Bowman v. Unibank, No. 2:23-cv-00971-JCC (W.D.

Notable litigation filed during May 2023 includes: (1) SEC v. Bartlett; (2) SEC v. Griffin; (3) Warrow v. Turnipseede; and (4) Commodity Future Trading Commission v. Galles.

SEC v. Bartlett, Case No. 8:23-cv-00765 (C.D. Cal.)

The SEC filed suit against defendant schemers in California federal court for an alleged scheme

Notable litigation filed during March 2023 includes: (1) SEC v. Woodard; (2) SEC v. Kaplan; (3) James Bay Resources Limited, et al. v. Lockett & Horwitz, et al.; (4) Miklos v. McNamara, et al.; and (5) Scura, et al. v. Heppner, et al.

SEC v. Woodard, Civ. No. 1:23-cv-00112 (D.

Notable litigation filed during January 2023 includes: (1) SEC v. Engel; (2) Firestone, et al. v. Residential Properties Resources Fund II, LLC, et al.; (3) Ellusionist Cash Balance Plan and Trust, et al. v. Spiegel Accountancy Corp., et al.; and (4) SEC v. Ellison-Meade.

SEC v. Engel, Civ. No. 2:23-cv-00213-PA-JPR