SEC Press press_release 65 KB 2,320 chars

Anthony Joseph Cataldo

Anthony Joseph Cataldo, No. 2:26-cv-04554

summary

Former CEO Anthony J. Cataldo misappropriated $3.2 million from his biopharmaceutical company—including $644,500 for personal expenses and $2.6 million for a Beverly Hills home—and concealed the fraud through false statements to auditors and SEC filings, ultimately settling with the SEC via a permanent injunction, three-year officer/director bar, and $30,000 penalty without admitting or denying the allegations.

paragraph

Anthony J. Cataldo, former CEO of a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, misappropriated approximately $3.2 million in corporate funds between November 2020 and October 2021, including $644,500 transferred to his personal account and $2.6 million used as a down payment on a $9.15 million Beverly Hills home. He concealed the fraud by making false statements to the company’s auditors and in SEC filings, falsely claiming investor funds were used for legitimate business expenses and manipulating bank records to hide the missing funds. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Cataldo consented to a permanent injunction against securities law violations, a three-year ban from serving as an officer or director, and a $30,000 civil penalty.

narrative

Anthony J. Cataldo, former Chairman and CEO of a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, misappropriated approximately $3.2 million in corporate funds between November 2020 and October 2021, diverting $644,500 to his personal bank account and using $2.6 million as a down payment on a $9.15 million home in Beverly Hills. To conceal the theft, Cataldo made materially false and misleading statements to the company’s auditors and in public SEC filings, falsely asserting that investor funds were being used for legitimate business expenses. He also took steps to ensure quarter-end bank records did not reflect the missing funds tied to the home purchase. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Cataldo consented to a settled judgment that permanently enjoins him from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, and Rule 10b-5, and imposes a three-year officer and director bar. He further agreed to pay a $30,000 civil penalty. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Adam Eisner, Margaret Haggerty, and Margaret Vizzi, supervised by C. Joshua Felker and Pei Y. Chung, with assistance from Devon Staren and David A. Nasse. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on April 29, 2026.

Enriched metadata

Scheme: health-care-fraud (100%)
Court: Central District of California
Case No.: 2:26-cv-04554
Outcome: settled
Civil penalty: $30,000
Victim loss: $3,200,000

Classified health-care-fraud(confidence 100%). No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 5

$9.15M $9.15 million $1M–$10M
$3.20M $3.2 million $1M–$10M
$2.60M $2.6 million $1M–$10M
$645K $644,500 $100K–$1M
$30K $30,000 $10K–$100K

Entities 5

person anthony j. cataldo
company approximately $3.2 million from the company
company clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
agency sec investigation
agency Securities and Exchange Commission

Triples 10

Anthony J. Cataldo misappropriated approximately $3.2 million from the Company
Anthony J. Cataldo made unauthorized transfers of approximately $644,500 in corporate funds from November 2020 through October 2021
Anthony J. Cataldo took for home purchase nearly $2.6 million in July 2021 for $9.15 million Beverly Hills home
SEC filed settled action against Anthony J. Cataldo on April 29, 2026
Anthony J. Cataldo made false statements to Company auditors and investors regarding use of investor funds
Anthony J. Cataldo was permanently enjoined from violating Section 17(a) of Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Rule 10b-5, and Rule 13b2-2
Anthony J. Cataldo received officer and director bar of three years
Anthony J. Cataldo agreed to pay civil penalty of $30,000
Anthony J. Cataldo was former Chairman and CEO of clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
SEC investigation was conducted by Adam Eisner, Margaret Haggerty, and Margaret Vizzi

View original SEC press releasesec.gov

Extracted body text (2,320c)

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSIONLitigation Release No. 26544 / April 29, 2026Securities and Exchange Commission v. Anthony J. Cataldo, No. 2:26-cv-04554 (C.D. Cal. filed April 29, 2026)SEC Files Settled Charges Against Former CEO for Misappropriating Corporate AssetsOn April 29, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a settled action against Anthony J. Cataldo, former Chairman and CEO of a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company (the Company), for allegedly misappropriating approximately $3.2 million from the Company and engaging in deceptive acts to conceal his misconduct from others, including the Company’s auditors.The SEC’s complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that, from approximately November 2020 through October 2021, Cataldo made repeated unauthorized transfers, totaling approximately $644,500 in corporate funds, from the Company’s bank account to his personal bank account. In addition, according to the Complaint, in July 2021, Cataldo took nearly $2.6 million from the Company’s bank account to make a downpayment on a $9.15 million home in Beverly Hills that he was purchasing as his personal residence.The complaint alleges that as part of this scheme, Cataldo made materially false and misleading statements to the Company’s auditors and to investors in public filings made with the SEC, representing, among other things, that investor funds would be used for business expenses of the Company. The complaint further alleges that Cataldo undertook efforts to ensure the quarter-end bank records did not reflect the missing funds he took for the home purchase.Without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, Cataldo consented to the entry of a proposed final judgment, subject to court approval, in which he agreed to be permanently enjoined from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Rule 13b2-2 of the Exchange Act; to a three-year officer and director bar; and to pay a civil penalty of $30,000.The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Adam Eisner, Margaret Haggerty, and Margaret Vizzi and supervised by C. Joshua Felker and Pei Y. Chung with the assistance of Devon Staren and David A. Nasse.

OCR text (2,320c · plain-text · 99% conf)