2025-06-20 sec-litreleases litigation_release 70 KB 4,985 chars

SEC v. Ongkaruck Sripetch; Amanda Flores; Brehnen Knight; Andrew McAlpine; Ashmit Patel; Michael Wexler, et al., No. LR-26332, Southern District of California (June 20, 2025) — Press Release

raw: Ongkaruck Sripetch, et al.

Ongkaruck Sripetch, et al., No. 3:20-cv-01864 (June 20, 2025)

Caption
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Sripetch
summary

The SEC obtained final judgments against seven individuals and one entity for orchestrating illegal microcap pump-and-dump schemes involving at least 20 issuers.

paragraph

The defendants were charged with violating the Securities Act and Exchange Act through manipulative trading and fraudulent stock manipulation. Financial remedies included over $3.3 million in disgorgement and interest for Ongkaruck Sripetch and approximately $1.3 million for Ashmit Patel. Other participants, such as Amanda Flores and Michael Wexler, received permanent officer-and-director bars and penny stock bars alongside various civil penalties.

narrative

The SEC successfully obtained final judgments against seven individual defendants and one entity, ATG Inc., for orchestrating illegal microcap pump-and-dump schemes between 2013 and 2017. The scheme involved manipulative trading across at least 20 different issuers. Key defendants faced significant financial penalties, including Ongkaruck Sripetch, who was ordered to pay over $3.3 million in disgorgement and interest, and Ashmit Patel, who was ordered to pay approximately $1.3 million. Most defendants also received permanent injunctions and penny stock bars, with several also receiving officer-and-director bars. While the SEC obtained judgments against primary individuals like Brehnen Knight and Amanda Flores, it voluntarily dismissed claims against several other corporate entities such as Adtron Inc. and DOIT, Ltd. The litigation concluded in May 2025 following the final judgment against Knight.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
pump-and-dump (100%)
Court
Southern District of California
Case No.
3:20-cv-01864
Disgorgement
$1,051,354
Civil penalty
$185,000
Entity
Ongkaruck Sripetch
Classified pump-and-dump(confidence 100%). EDGAR detection: forms S-8/S-1/424B/8-K· recall 69% / precision 12%. detection rule →
Parties
Securities and Exchange CommissionOngkaruck SripetchAshmit PatelAdtron Inc.King Mutual Solutions Inc.Optimus Prime Financial Inc.Doit, LtdRedline InternationalDominic WilliamsBrehnen KnightAmanda FloresMichael WexlerATG Inc.Doji Capital, Inc.UAIM CorporationAndrew McAlpineOrca BridgeAdtron Inc. aka Stockpalooza.com
Keywords
entered finalfinal againstpermanently enjoinedenjoined futureimposed permanentpermanent pennypenny stockagainstsecurities exchangethereunder imposedsecuritiesfinalexchangepermanentbar

Exhibits & Attached Documents (8)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 12
  • $2.25M $2,251,923 $1M–$10M
  • $1.05M $1,051,353 $1M–$10M
  • $919K $918,827 $100K–$1M
  • $400K $399,841 $100K–$1M
  • $386K $385,890 $100K–$1M
  • $190K $190,269 $100K–$1M
  • $185K $185,000 $100K–$1M
  • $75K $74,797 $10K–$100K
  • $60K $59,693 $10K–$100K
  • $19K $18,750 $10K–$100K
  • $12K $12,317 $10K–$100K
  • $3K $3,409 <$10K
Entities 8
  • person Amanda Flores
  • person Andrew McAlpine
  • person Ashmit Patel
  • company atg, inc.
  • person Dominic Williams
  • person Michael Wexler
  • person Ongkaruck Sripetch
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
Triples 11
  • Securities And Exchange Commission obtained final judgment against Brehnen Knight on May 27 2025
  • Ongkaruck Sripetch engaged in unlawful manipulative trading and pump-and-dump schemes involving at least 20 issuers from August 2013 to December 2017
  • Amanda Flores ordered to pay $185,000 civil penalty
  • Dominic Williams ordered to pay $18,750 civil penalty
  • Sripetch ordered to pay $2,251,923.16 disgorgement and $1,051,353.77 prejudgment interest
  • Sripetch has appealed disgorgement ordered in his final judgment
  • Ashmit Patel ordered to pay $918,827.41 disgorgement and $399,841 prejudgment interest
  • Andrew McAlpine ordered to pay $12,317.69 disgorgement and $3,409.07 prejudgment interest
  • ATG, Inc. enjoined future securities violations under Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act
  • Michael Wexler ordered to pay $190,269.25 disgorgement and $74,797.80 prejudgment interest
  • Securities And Exchange Commission obtained final judgments against seven individual defendants and one related entity
PDF (from attached: judgment)
Text layers
Extracted body text (4,985c)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26332 / June 20, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ongkaruck Sripetch, Amanda Flores, Brehnen Knight, Andrew McAlpine, Ashmit Patel, Michael Wexler, Dominic Williams, Adtron Inc. aka Stockpalooza.com, ATG Inc., DOIT, Ltd., DOJI Capital, Inc., King Mutual Solutions Inc., Optimus Prime Financial Inc., Orca Bridge, Redline International, and UAIM Corporation, No. 3:20-cv-01864-H-BLM (S.D. Cal. filed Sept. 21, 2020) SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Participants in Illegal Microcap Fraud Schemes On May 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a final judgment from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California against defendant Brehnen Knight, who had previously been charged for his role in several fraudulent stock manipulation schemes. The SEC’s complaint, as amended on August 14, 2023, alleged that from at least August 2013 through at least December 2017, defendant Ongkaruck Sripetch, working variously with the other defendants, including Knight, engaged in unlawful manipulative trading and orchestrated pump-and-dump schemes involving the stock of at least 20 issuers. With this entry of judgment against Knight, the SEC has obtained final judgments as to all seven individual defendants and one of their related entities as follows: On January 8, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Amanda Flores that permanently enjoined her from future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c), 17(a)(1), and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Sections 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, imposed a permanent officer-and-director bar and a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered her to pay a civil penalty of $185,000. On January 31, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Dominic Williams that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay a civil penalty of $18,750. On April 17, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Sripetch that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Sections 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 9(a)(1) and 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $2,251,923.16 in disgorgement and $1,051,353.77 in prejudgment interest thereon. Sripetch has appealed the disgorgement ordered in his final judgment. On April 29, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Ashmit Patel that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and 10b-5(c) thereunder, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $918,827.41 in disgorgement and $399,841 in prejudgment interest thereon. On May 1, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Andrew McAlpine that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Sections 9(a)(1), 9(a)(2), and 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $12,317.69 in disgorgement and $3,409.07 in prejudgment interest thereon. On August 19, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against ATG, Inc. that permanently enjoined it from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and imposed a permanent penny stock bar. On March 10, 2025, the court entered a final judgment against Michael Wexler that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and 10b-5(c) thereunder, imposed a permanent officer-and-director bar and a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $190,269.25 in disgorgement and $74,797.80 in prejudgment interest thereon. On May 27, 2025, the court entered a final judgment against Knight that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c), 17(a)(1), and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Sections 9(a)(1) and 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder, imposed a permanent officer-and-director bar and a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay disgorgement of $385,890.02 and prejudgment interest thereon of $59,693.55. The SEC voluntarily dismissed its claims against corporate defendants DOIT, Ltd., DOJI Capital, Ltd., King Mutual Solutions Inc., Optimus Prime Financial Inc., Orca Bridge, Redline International, and UAIM Corporation on October 5, 2023, and against corporate defendant Adtron Inc. aka Stockpalooza.com on July 24, 2024. The SEC’s litigation was led by Christopher J. Dunnigan and Kristine Zaleskas, with the assistance of Ricky Tong, and was supervised by Daniel Loss, Michael Paley, and Thomas P. Smith, Jr., all of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.
OCR text (4,985c · html-text · 99% conf)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26332 / June 20, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ongkaruck Sripetch, Amanda Flores, Brehnen Knight, Andrew McAlpine, Ashmit Patel, Michael Wexler, Dominic Williams, Adtron Inc. aka Stockpalooza.com, ATG Inc., DOIT, Ltd., DOJI Capital, Inc., King Mutual Solutions Inc., Optimus Prime Financial Inc., Orca Bridge, Redline International, and UAIM Corporation, No. 3:20-cv-01864-H-BLM (S.D. Cal. filed Sept. 21, 2020) SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Participants in Illegal Microcap Fraud Schemes On May 27, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a final judgment from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California against defendant Brehnen Knight, who had previously been charged for his role in several fraudulent stock manipulation schemes. The SEC’s complaint, as amended on August 14, 2023, alleged that from at least August 2013 through at least December 2017, defendant Ongkaruck Sripetch, working variously with the other defendants, including Knight, engaged in unlawful manipulative trading and orchestrated pump-and-dump schemes involving the stock of at least 20 issuers. With this entry of judgment against Knight, the SEC has obtained final judgments as to all seven individual defendants and one of their related entities as follows: On January 8, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Amanda Flores that permanently enjoined her from future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c), 17(a)(1), and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Sections 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, imposed a permanent officer-and-director bar and a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered her to pay a civil penalty of $185,000. On January 31, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Dominic Williams that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay a civil penalty of $18,750. On April 17, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Sripetch that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Sections 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 9(a)(1) and 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $2,251,923.16 in disgorgement and $1,051,353.77 in prejudgment interest thereon. Sripetch has appealed the disgorgement ordered in his final judgment. On April 29, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Ashmit Patel that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and 10b-5(c) thereunder, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $918,827.41 in disgorgement and $399,841 in prejudgment interest thereon. On May 1, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against Andrew McAlpine that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Sections 9(a)(1), 9(a)(2), and 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, imposed a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $12,317.69 in disgorgement and $3,409.07 in prejudgment interest thereon. On August 19, 2024, the court entered a final judgment against ATG, Inc. that permanently enjoined it from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and imposed a permanent penny stock bar. On March 10, 2025, the court entered a final judgment against Michael Wexler that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and 10b-5(c) thereunder, imposed a permanent officer-and-director bar and a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay $190,269.25 in disgorgement and $74,797.80 in prejudgment interest thereon. On May 27, 2025, the court entered a final judgment against Knight that permanently enjoined him from future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c), 17(a)(1), and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Sections 9(a)(1) and 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder, imposed a permanent officer-and-director bar and a permanent penny stock bar, and ordered him to pay disgorgement of $385,890.02 and prejudgment interest thereon of $59,693.55. The SEC voluntarily dismissed its claims against corporate defendants DOIT, Ltd., DOJI Capital, Ltd., King Mutual Solutions Inc., Optimus Prime Financial Inc., Orca Bridge, Redline International, and UAIM Corporation on October 5, 2023, and against corporate defendant Adtron Inc. aka Stockpalooza.com on July 24, 2024. The SEC’s litigation was led by Christopher J. Dunnigan and Kristine Zaleskas, with the assistance of Ricky Tong, and was supervised by Daniel Loss, Michael Paley, and Thomas P. Smith, Jr., all of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.