SEC v. Nicholas A. Palazzo; 4TA Sports, Inc.; NP Ventures Holdings, LLC; and Play Caller Sports Gaming LLC, No. LR-26343, Northern District of California (July 9, 2025) — Press Release
raw: Nicholas A. Palazzo, et al.
Nicholas A. Palazzo, et al., No. 5:24-cv-06602 (July 9, 2025)
Former Harvard football player Nicholas A. Palazzo and his entities secured a final judgment for orchestrating two securities fraud schemes that misappropriated over $2 million for personal use.
Nicholas A. Palazzo and his entities were charged with violating the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The schemes involved raising funds for a sports media asset repurchase and a sports betting app, totaling over $3 million in raised capital. Palazzo was ordered to pay $2,648,132.73 in disgorgement plus interest, along with a $150,000 individual civil penalty.
The SEC obtained final judgment against former Harvard football player Nicholas A. Palazzo and his companies, 4TA Sports, Inc., NP Ventures Holdings, LLC, and Play Caller Sports Gaming LLC. Palazzo orchestrated two schemes: one for a sports media asset repurchase and another for a sports betting app, which misled investors including former teammates and professional athletes. He misappropriated millions to fund personal expenses such as private school tuition, rent, and a trip to Disneyland. The defendants consented to the judgment, which includes a total disgorgement of $2,648,132.73 plus interest and a $150,000 civil penalty for Palazzo. Additionally, Palazzo is barred from serving as a public company officer or director and participating in securities offerings for five years. The judgment also permanently enjoins the defendants from future violations of federal securities laws.
Exhibits & Attached Documents (2)
Extracted insights
- $2.65M $2,648,132 $1M–$10M
- $2.20M $2.2 million $1M–$10M
- $2.00M $2 million $1M–$10M
- $900K $900,000 $100K–$1M
- $150K $150,000 $100K–$1M
- person final judgment
- agency sec investigation
- agency sec litigation
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- court united states district court for the northern district of california
- agency United States Securities And Exchange Commission
- United States Securities And Exchange Commission obtained final judgment against Nicholas a. Palazzo and his corporate entities
- United States District Court For The Northern District Of California entered final judgment on June 30, 2025
- SEC charged Nicholas a. Palazzo and corporate entities with stealing more than $2 million from investors
- Palazzo raised $900,000 from three investors through 4TA Sports
- Palazzo, NP Ventures, and Play Caller Sports Gaming raised $2.2 million from 22 investors
- Palazzo misappropriated nearly all of the $900,000 funds
- Palazzo, NP Ventures, and Play Caller Sports Gaming misappropriated more than three quarters of the $2.2 million funds
- Final judgment ordered Palazzo to pay disgorgement of $2,648,132.73
- Final judgment ordered Palazzo to pay a $150,000 civil penalty
- Final judgment barred Palazzo from acting as an officer or director of a public company for five years
- Final judgment prohibited Palazzo from participating in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any security for five years
- SEC litigation was led by Carina a. Cuellar and Brian Fitzsimons
- SEC investigation was conducted by Brittany Frassetto and Lauren Poper
- SEC investigation was supervised by Pei Chung and Stacy Bogert
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26343 / July 9, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Nicholas A. Palazzo, 4TA Sports, Inc., NP Ventures Holdings, LLC and Play Caller Sports Gaming LLC, No. 5:24-cv-06602 (N.D. Cal. filed Sept. 20, 2024) SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against Former Harvard Football Player Nicholas Palazzo and his Corporate Entities for Orchestrating Two Fraudulent Schemes On June 30, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California entered final judgment against defendants Nicholas A. Palazzo and his corporate entities, 4TA Sports, Inc., NP Ventures Holdings, LLC, and Play Caller Sports Gaming LLC, whom the SEC previously charged with stealing more than $2 million from investors, including Palazzo’s former Harvard football teammates, a professional athlete, and others, through two securities fraud schemes. The SEC's Complaint, filed on September 20, 2024, alleged that in the first scheme, Palazzo, through 4TA Sports, raised investor funds for the purported repurchase of the assets of a sports media company. And, in the second scheme, Palazzo, through NP Ventures Holdings and Play Caller Sports Gaming, allegedly raised investor funds to develop and launch a sports betting app. According to the complaint, in both schemes, Palazzo misled investors about how their funds would be used before misappropriating their funds to pay personal expenses, including his children’s private school tuition, his personal rent, and a trip to Disneyland. The SEC’s complaint alleged that Palazzo and 4TA Sports raised $900,000 from three investors and misappropriated nearly all of these funds, while Palazzo, NP Ventures, and Play Caller Sports Gaming raised $2.2 million from 22 investors and misappropriated more than three quarters of those funds. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, Palazzo and the corporate defendants consented to the entry of the final judgment permanently enjoining them from violating 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. The final judgment also ordered Palazzo to pay disgorgement in the amount of $2,648,132.73 plus prejudgment interest thereon in, with the corporate defendants being jointly and severally liable for portions of this amount, and to individually pay a $150,000 civil penalty. The final judgment bars Palazzo from acting as an officer or director of a public company for a period of five years and prohibits Palazzo from participating in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any security for a period of five years, other than purchasing or selling securities for his own personal accounts. The SEC’s litigation was led by Carina A. Cuellar and Brian Fitzsimons and supervised by Christopher Bruckmann. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Brittany Frassetto and Lauren Poper and supervised by Pei Chung and Stacy Bogert.
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26343 / July 9, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Nicholas A. Palazzo, 4TA Sports, Inc., NP Ventures Holdings, LLC and Play Caller Sports Gaming LLC, No. 5:24-cv-06602 (N.D. Cal. filed Sept. 20, 2024) SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against Former Harvard Football Player Nicholas Palazzo and his Corporate Entities for Orchestrating Two Fraudulent Schemes On June 30, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California entered final judgment against defendants Nicholas A. Palazzo and his corporate entities, 4TA Sports, Inc., NP Ventures Holdings, LLC, and Play Caller Sports Gaming LLC, whom the SEC previously charged with stealing more than $2 million from investors, including Palazzo’s former Harvard football teammates, a professional athlete, and others, through two securities fraud schemes. The SEC's Complaint, filed on September 20, 2024, alleged that in the first scheme, Palazzo, through 4TA Sports, raised investor funds for the purported repurchase of the assets of a sports media company. And, in the second scheme, Palazzo, through NP Ventures Holdings and Play Caller Sports Gaming, allegedly raised investor funds to develop and launch a sports betting app. According to the complaint, in both schemes, Palazzo misled investors about how their funds would be used before misappropriating their funds to pay personal expenses, including his children’s private school tuition, his personal rent, and a trip to Disneyland. The SEC’s complaint alleged that Palazzo and 4TA Sports raised $900,000 from three investors and misappropriated nearly all of these funds, while Palazzo, NP Ventures, and Play Caller Sports Gaming raised $2.2 million from 22 investors and misappropriated more than three quarters of those funds. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, Palazzo and the corporate defendants consented to the entry of the final judgment permanently enjoining them from violating 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. The final judgment also ordered Palazzo to pay disgorgement in the amount of $2,648,132.73 plus prejudgment interest thereon in, with the corporate defendants being jointly and severally liable for portions of this amount, and to individually pay a $150,000 civil penalty. The final judgment bars Palazzo from acting as an officer or director of a public company for a period of five years and prohibits Palazzo from participating in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any security for a period of five years, other than purchasing or selling securities for his own personal accounts. The SEC’s litigation was led by Carina A. Cuellar and Brian Fitzsimons and supervised by Christopher Bruckmann. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Brittany Frassetto and Lauren Poper and supervised by Pei Chung and Stacy Bogert.