2023-09-27 sec-litreleases litigation_release 66 KB 3,418 chars

SEC v. Hyzon Motors Inc.; Craig M. Knight; and Max C.B. Holthausen, No. LR-25855, Western District of New York (Sept. 27, 2023) — Press Release

raw: Hyzon Motors Inc., Craig M. Knight, and Max C.B. Holthausen

Hyzon Motors Inc., Craig M. Knight, and Max C.B. Holthausen, No. 6:23-cv-06553 (Sept. 27, 2023)

Caption
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Hyzon Motors Inc.
summary

The SEC settled fraud charges against Hyzon Motors and two former executives for misleading investors about vehicle sales and business relationships following a 2021 SPAC merger.

paragraph

Hyzon Motors, former CEO Craig M. Knight, and former managing director Max C.B. Holthausen agreed to pay $25 million, $100,000, and $200,000 in civil penalties, respectively. The SEC charged the defendants with violating antifraud provisions of the Securities Act and Exchange Act by misrepresenting business dealings and vehicle deliveries. The settlement also includes permanent injunctions and officer and director bars for Knight and Holthausen.

narrative

The SEC announced settled fraud charges against hydrogen vehicle manufacturer Hyzon Motors Inc. and former executives Craig M. Knight and Max C.B. Holthausen. The defendants allegedly misled investors regarding business relationships and vehicle sales surrounding a July 2021 SPAC merger. Specifically, the company falsely claimed to have delivered its first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle using a deceptive video and reported 87 vehicle sales in 2021 when no sales had actually occurred. To resolve the charges, Hyzon agreed to pay a $25 million penalty, while Knight and Holthausen agreed to pay $100,000 and $200,000, respectively. Additionally, Knight and Holthausen accepted bans from serving as officers or directors of publicly traded companies for five and ten years, respectively. The settlement, which does not involve admitting or denying the allegations, remains subject to court approval.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
financial-fraud (97%)
Court
Western District of New York
Case No.
6:23-cv-06553
Outcome
settled
Entity
Hyzon Motors Inc.
Ticker
HYZN
CIK
0001716583
Classified financial-fraud(confidence 97%). EDGAR detection: forms 10-K/10-Q/8-K/NT 10-K· recall 67% / precision 23%. detection rule →
Parties
Securities and Exchange CommissionHyzon Motors Inc.Max C.B. HolthausenCraig M. Knight
Keywords
hyzonknightholthausenhyzon motorssecurities exchangesecuritiescraig knightexchangehyzon'sexchange commissionprovisions securitiesmotorsinccraigmax

Exhibits & Attached Documents (1)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 3
  • $25.00M $25 million $10M–$100M
  • $200K $200,000 $100K–$1M
  • $100K $100,000 $100K–$1M
Entities 3
  • agency sec complaint
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
  • company settled fraud charges against hyzon motors inc.
Triples 11
  • SEC Charges Hyzon Motors and Two Former Executives
  • SEC Announced Settled Fraud Charges Against Hyzon Motors Inc.
  • SEC Charged Craig M. Knight and Max C.B. Holthausen
  • Hyzon Misrepresented Status Of Business Dealings
  • Hyzon Falsely Stated Delivery Of First Fcev
  • Hyzon Falsely Reported Sale Of 87 FCEVs In 2021
  • Knight Was Responsible For False Statements About Customer And Supplier Relationships
  • Holthausen Was Responsible For False Statements About Fcev Delivery And Sales
  • SEC Complaint Charges Hyzon and Holthausen With Violating Antifraud Provisions
  • Hyzon, Knight, and Holthausen Consented To Permanent Injunctions And Civil Penalties
  • Knight and Holthausen Agreed To Prohibitions From Serving As Officers Or Directors
PDF (from attached: complaint)
Text layers
Extracted body text (3,418c)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25855/ September 27, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Hyzon Motors Inc., Craig M. Knight, and Max C.B. Holthausen, No. 6:23-cv-06553 (W.D.N.Y. filed Sept. 26, 2023) SEC Charges Hydrogen Vehicle Co. Hyzon Motors and Two Former Executives for Misleading Investors The Securities and Exchange Commission announced settled fraud charges against Hyzon Motors Inc., an upstate New York-based company that builds hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), for misleading investors about its business relationships and vehicle sales before and after a July 2021 merger with a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. The SEC also charged Craig M. Knight, Hyzon's former CEO, and Max C.B. Holthausen, former managing director of Hyzon's European subsidiary, for their roles in the fraudulent scheme. According to the SEC's complaint, Hyzon misrepresented the status of its business dealings with potential customers and suppliers to create the false appearance that significant sales transactions were imminent. The complaint alleges that Hyzon also falsely stated that it had delivered its first FCEV in July 2021, even going as far as posting a misleading video of the vehicle purportedly running on hydrogen, when the vehicle was not equipped to operate on hydrogen power. The complaint further alleges that Hyzon later falsely reported that it sold 87 FCEVs in 2021, when in fact it had not sold any vehicles that year. Knight allegedly was responsible for the false statements about Hyzon's customer and supplier relationships. Holthausen allegedly was responsible for Hyzon's false statements about delivery of its first FCEV and for Hyzon's false reporting of certain FCEV sales. The SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, charges: Hyzon and Holthausen with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and charges Knight with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a)(2) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933. The complaint also charges defendants with violations or aiding and abetting violations of additional books and records, control, reporting, and proxy solicitation provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934: Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 14(a) and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, 13a-13, 13a-15(a), and 14a-9 thereunder (Hyzon); Section 14(a) and Rule 14a-9 thereunder (Knight); and aiding and abetting Hyzon's violations of Sections 13(a) and 13(b)(2)(A) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 thereunder (Holthausen). Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, Hyzon, Knight, and Holthausen each consented to permanent injunctions and to pay $25 million, $100,000, and $200,000, respectively, in civil penalties. Knight and Holthausen also agreed to prohibitions from serving as officers or directors of a publicly traded company for a period of five and ten years, respectively. The settlements are subject to court approval. The SEC's investigation was conducted by David F. Benson, John T. Chisholm, and Anne C. Romero, with assistance from Sharan E. Lieberman and Gregory A. Kasper, and was supervised by Laura M. Metcalfe, Nicholas P. Heinke, and Jason J. Burt. SEC Complaint
OCR text (3,418c · html-text · 99% conf)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25855/ September 27, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Hyzon Motors Inc., Craig M. Knight, and Max C.B. Holthausen, No. 6:23-cv-06553 (W.D.N.Y. filed Sept. 26, 2023) SEC Charges Hydrogen Vehicle Co. Hyzon Motors and Two Former Executives for Misleading Investors The Securities and Exchange Commission announced settled fraud charges against Hyzon Motors Inc., an upstate New York-based company that builds hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), for misleading investors about its business relationships and vehicle sales before and after a July 2021 merger with a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. The SEC also charged Craig M. Knight, Hyzon's former CEO, and Max C.B. Holthausen, former managing director of Hyzon's European subsidiary, for their roles in the fraudulent scheme. According to the SEC's complaint, Hyzon misrepresented the status of its business dealings with potential customers and suppliers to create the false appearance that significant sales transactions were imminent. The complaint alleges that Hyzon also falsely stated that it had delivered its first FCEV in July 2021, even going as far as posting a misleading video of the vehicle purportedly running on hydrogen, when the vehicle was not equipped to operate on hydrogen power. The complaint further alleges that Hyzon later falsely reported that it sold 87 FCEVs in 2021, when in fact it had not sold any vehicles that year. Knight allegedly was responsible for the false statements about Hyzon's customer and supplier relationships. Holthausen allegedly was responsible for Hyzon's false statements about delivery of its first FCEV and for Hyzon's false reporting of certain FCEV sales. The SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, charges: Hyzon and Holthausen with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and charges Knight with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a)(2) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933. The complaint also charges defendants with violations or aiding and abetting violations of additional books and records, control, reporting, and proxy solicitation provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934: Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 14(a) and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, 13a-13, 13a-15(a), and 14a-9 thereunder (Hyzon); Section 14(a) and Rule 14a-9 thereunder (Knight); and aiding and abetting Hyzon's violations of Sections 13(a) and 13(b)(2)(A) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 thereunder (Holthausen). Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, Hyzon, Knight, and Holthausen each consented to permanent injunctions and to pay $25 million, $100,000, and $200,000, respectively, in civil penalties. Knight and Holthausen also agreed to prohibitions from serving as officers or directors of a publicly traded company for a period of five and ten years, respectively. The settlements are subject to court approval. The SEC's investigation was conducted by David F. Benson, John T. Chisholm, and Anne C. Romero, with assistance from Sharan E. Lieberman and Gregory A. Kasper, and was supervised by Laura M. Metcalfe, Nicholas P. Heinke, and Jason J. Burt. SEC Complaint