Stephen B. Darr

BULLETIN:  (2nd Update 10:46 P.M. ET U.S.A.) TelexFree figure Sann Rodrigues has been ordered jailed. The order, dated Jan. 15, was issued by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton of the District of Massachusetts. Gorton found Rodrigues in civil contempt last month for violating an asset freeze. Rodrigues did not purge the contempt by Jan. 15, so Gorton ordered the […]

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 […]

URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Melvin S. Hoffman of the District of Massachusetts has ruled TelexFree a Ponzi and pyramid scheme. It is the first such ruling by a U.S. Court and was issued on Thanksgiving Eve. The ruling was requested on Oct. 7 by Stephen B. Darr, the court-appointed TelexFree trustee. […]

UPDATED 12:32 P.M. EDT U.S.A. A component of the U.S. Department of Justice has informed U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Melvin S. Hoffman that it will object to fee applications filed by two firms assisting Stephen B. Darr, the court-appointed trustee in the TelexFree bankruptcy case in Massachusetts. In court filings yesterday, the office of U.S. Trustee […]

Billing records in the TelexFree bankruptcy case show that advisers to court-appointed Trustee Stephen B. Darr held an hour-long teleconference with McGuireWoods, counsel to Zeek Rewards’ receiver Kenneth D. Bell. This appears to mark the first time that Zeek’s name has surfaced in TelexFree-related court matters. The two cross-border MLM/network-marketing fraud schemes allegedly gathered a […]

UPDATED 7:10 A.M. EDT APRIL 18 U.S.A. A year has passed since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced the prosecution of TelexFree. Here’s the lede from the PP Blog’s story on April 17, 2014: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed charges against the alleged TelexFree pyramid scheme and a federal judge […]

UPDATED 11:25 A.M. EDT U.S.A. Something calling itself “TelexMOB” has established a web presence this month. A logo resembling that of TelexFree — an alleged Ponzi- and pyramid scheme said to have gathered $1.8 billion across national borders — appears on the site. BehindMLM.com was first with the news today. The PP Blog has sent […]

“The staff also has recently seen what appears to be an increase in pyramid schemes . . . under the guise of ‘multi-level marketing’ and ‘network marketing’ opportunities . . . These schemes often target the most vulnerable investors, and social media has expanded their reach. The Division is deploying resources to disrupt these schemes […]

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 […]

2ND UPDATE 9:18 A.M. ET FEB. 13 U.S.A. On Oct. 16, 2014, Google was served a search warrant in the TelexFree criminal case against accused operators James Merrill and Carlos Wanzeler, according to joint court filings by federal prosecutors in the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz of the District of Massachusetts and Robert […]

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 […]