Judge Melvin S. Hoffman

UPDATED DEC. 22, 2016: The court has extended the claims deadline until March 15, 2017. Earlier story below . . . ** _____________** With the Dec. 31 filing deadline for TelexFree claims fast approaching, court-appointed Trustee Stephen B. Darr has asked the court to extend the deadline until March 15, 2017. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Melvin […]

BULLETIN: U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Melvin S. Hoffman has certified a defendant class-action lawsuit brought by TelexFree Trustee Stephen B. Darr against about 15,000 alleged TelexFree “net winners” in the United States. The ruling means “clawback” cases against alleged U.S. winners will proceed. Darr has alleged aggregate payments to the domestic net winners exceed $100 million and must […]

UPDATED 11:53 A.M. EDT U.S.A. Sept. 23, 2016: The claims deadline has been extended until Dec. 31, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. Prevailing Eastern Time. Claims must be filed through TelexFreeClaims.com. Our earlier story is below . . . **____________** TelexFree participants and others who may have a claim against the estate should read this important notice […]

The SEC declined Friday to say whether two individuals named prospective defendants in a massive class-action lawsuit brought by the Trustee in the 2014 TelexFree bankruptcy case were the same two persons charged with securities fraud last year by the agency in the DFRF Enterprises/Daniel Fernandes Rojo Filho Ponzi- and pyramid-scheme case. On June 30, 2015, […]

UPDATED 3:32 P.M. EDT U.S.A. Faith Sloan received $710,319 from the TelexFree Ponzi- and pyramid scheme, according to filings by TelexFree bankruptcy Trustee Stephen B. Darr. Sloan, whose address was listed as Virginia Beach, Va., is a longtime Illinois HYIP huckster on Ponzi boards and social media. She and three other TelexFree promoters were charged in […]

Good news for potentially hundreds of thousands of people with TelexFree claims. TelexFree bankruptcy Trustee Stephen B. Darr informed Chief Judge Melvin S. Hoffman yesterday that testing could begin this month on the electronic proof of claim form (ePOC) and the online claims portal administered by BMC Group Inc. If all goes well, the “ePOC […]

Big Four accounting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers posted more than $115,000 in fees from the TelexFree Ponzi/pyramid scheme and will pay it all back under the terms of a stipulated settlement with TelexFree Trustee Stephen B. Darr, according to court filings. PwC admits no liability in the settlement, which requires the approval of Chief Bankruptcy Judge Melvin […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a follow-up to our Feb. 4 article that reported TelexFree figure James Merrill potentially could be forced to take the Fifth Amendment in front of a large audience at a music hall in Worcester, Mass., on Feb. 10. **____________________________** Forcing him to take the Fifth Amendment tomorrow at Mechanics Hall in […]

BULLETIN: TelexFree Trustee Stephen B. Darr today asked Judge Melvin S. Hoffman for an order that would compel TelexFree executive James Merrill to appear at a meeting of creditors at 11 a.m. on Feb. 10 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Mass. Darr also wants Hoffman to designate Merrill as TelexFree’s corporate representative, setting the stage for him […]

It’s another MLM legal and PR catastrophe. Let’s begin with the numbers, which are staggering: In two separate actions on Jan. 15, TelexFree bankruptcy Trustee Stephen B. Darr sued 56 named alleged “winners” in the MLM Ponzi- and pyramid scheme believed to have generated about $3 billion in corrupt, cross-border economic activity. These 56 promoters […]

UPDATED 5:42 A.M. ET FEB. 5 U.S.A. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Melvin S. Hoffman has canceled a status hearing set for tomorrow in the TelexFree bankruptcy case. Hoffman further has ordered the report filed yesterday by TelexFree Trustee Stephen B. Darr to be posted publicly. Although the report already was posted, Hoffman’s order appears to underscore […]