Tag: Massachusetts Securities Division
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Merrill’s U.S. Plea Requires Him To Cooperate With Brazilian Federal Police
If Brazil’s Federal Police wish to ask him about TelexFree’s involvement in wire fraud and an underlying conspiracy, James Merrill is required to provide a “complete and truthful proffer,” according to the terms of his plea agreement with U.S. prosecutors in Massachusetts. Merrill, 55, of Ashland, Mass., also is required to cooperate with U.S. agencies that…
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‘WINGS NETWORK’: Court Orders Disgorgement Of Tens Of Millions Of Dollars In Pyramid/Ponzi Case — Plus, Prison Sentences Ordered In eAdGear Case
Back in February 2015, the SEC brought a Ponzi- and pyramid action against the alleged operators of “Wings Network,” alleging a cross-border MLM fraud that had gathered tens of millions of dollars. Massachusetts Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin, head of the Massachusetts Securities Division, charged Wings Network and some individuals in 2014. The SEC announced today…
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BULLETIN: SEC Of The Philippines Calls EmGoldEx A Ponzi Scheme That Spawned Cascading Frauds
EDITOR’S NOTE: Officials in the Philippines not only are using securities laws in the EmGoldEx prosecution, but also a relatively new law against cybercrime in that nation. This potentially could stiffen penalties. As noted below, EmGoldEx also caused trouble in the United States. UPDATED 10:43 A.M. ET U.S.A. EmGoldEx was a Ponzi scheme that morphed into entities known…
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TelexFree Members In Massachusetts Get Payout From Bank Fund
About 14,000 TelexFree members in Massachusetts have received a payout from a $3.5 million fund set up last year as a result of a settlement between the state Securities Division and Fidelity Co-Operative Bank, the office of Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin said today. “While this money does not make the TelexFREE victims whole, the distribution does…
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Sann Rodrigues Released On ‘Conditions’
TelexFree and IFreeX promoter Sann Rodrigues has been released on “conditions,” including “the surrender of his passport and the passports belonging to his family members, a $200,000 secured bond, 24-hour electronic monitoring, and home confinement.” A U.S. Magistrate Judge in the District of New Jersey imposed the conditions on Rodrigues, according to a statement today…
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WCM777: More Theft And Money Laundering MLM-Style
“Many investors gave cash to the company and to their leaders (or upline sponsors) who then deposited the cash along with other investor funds.” — Krista L. Freitag, court-appointed receiver in the WCM777 pyramid- and Ponzi case, Feb. 27, 2015 EDITOR’S NOTE: Tens of millions of dollars allegedly flowed through WCM777 and related entities. At…
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EDITORIAL: Creeping Up On MLM Perdition
EDITOR’S NOTE: The MLM “program” known as Wings Network is alleged to have operated through two business entities that used the name “Tropikgadget.” The SEC’s case, announced Friday, is filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. That’s the same venue in which the agency’s epic TelexFree case was filed last year. There…
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URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Bankruptcy Trustee Says TelexFree Was ‘Pyramid Scheme’ That Gathered As Much As $1.8 Billion
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (10th Update 8:53 p.m. ET U.S.A.) In his first formal report to the Massachusetts bankruptcy court, TelexFree Trustee Stephen B. Darr calls the company a “pyramid scheme” that may have involved 1 million or more participants globally and gathered as much as $1.8 billion through arms in the United States…