SEC v. STEVE A. SMITH, JR.; and XTREME FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS, INC., No. 1:24-cv-24802, Southern District of Florida (Apr. 15, 2025) — Judgment
raw: SEC v. STEVE A. SMITH
SEC v. STEVE A. SMITH, No. 1:24-cv-24802 (Apr. 15, 2025)
Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. entered a final judgment with the SEC to resolve allegations of securities fraud and unregistered securities offerings.
The SEC obtained a final judgment against Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. for violations of the Securities Act and Exchange Act involving deceptive trading practices. The defendant is liable for $436,000 in disgorgement and $97,509 in prejudgment interest. The court also imposed a $436,000 civil penalty, bringing the total judgment to $969,509.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) secured a final judgment against Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. and Steve A. Smith, Jr. for alleged securities fraud. The defendants were accused of employing schemes to defraud investors by creating false appearances regarding security prices and disseminating misleading information. While the company consented to the judgment without admitting or denying the allegations, it is now subject to a permanent injunction against future violations of the Securities Act and Exchange Act. The financial terms of the judgment include $436,000 in disgorgement, $97,509 in prejudgment interest, and a $436,000 civil penalty. This total amount of $969,509 is to be paid in four installments over 364 days. The court's order also prohibits the defendant from engaging in the unregistered sale of securities.
Extracted insights
- $970K $969,509 $100K–$1M
- $970K $969,509 $100K–$1M
- $436K $436,000 $100K–$1M
- $436K $436,000 $100K–$1M
- $242K $242,377 $100K–$1M
- $242K $242,377 $100K–$1M
- $242K $242,377 $100K–$1M
- $98K $97,509 $10K–$100K
- organization Court
- person final judgment
- person general appearance
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- organization Securities and Exchange Commission
- company xtreme fighting championships, inc.
- organization Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc.
- Securities And Exchange Commission filed Complaint
- Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. entered general appearance
- Securities And Exchange Commission granted Motion
- Court ordered Final Judgment
- Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. restrained violating Section 10(b)
- Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. enjoined violating Section 17(a)
- Defendant's officers bound Final Judgment
- Securities And Exchange Commission sued Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc.
1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA CASE NO. 24-CV-24802-RAR SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. STEVE A. SMITH, JR., and XTREME FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS, INC., Defendants. ______________________________________________/ FINAL JUDGMENT AS TO DEFENDANT XTREME FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS, INC. THIS CAUSE comes before the Court on Plaintiff Securities and Exchange Commission’s Unopposed Motion for Entry of Final Judgments Against Defendants (“Motion”), [ECF No. 16]. The Court having reviewed the Motion, the record, and being otherwise fully advised, it is hereby ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the Motion is GRANTED and Final Judgment as to Defendant Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. is hereby entered as follows: The Securities and Exchange Commission having filed a Complaint and Defendant Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. having entered a general appearance; consented to the Court’s jurisdiction over Defendant and the subject matter of this action; consented to entry of this Final Judgment without admitting or denying the allegations of the Complaint (except as to jurisdiction); waived findings of fact and conclusions of law; and waived any right to appeal from this Final Judgment: I. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating, directly or indirectly, Section 10(b) of the 2 Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder [17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5], by using any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, or of the mails, or of any facility of any national securities exchange, in connection with the purchase or sale of any security: (a) to employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (b) to make any untrue statement of a material fact or to omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (c) to engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person, by, directly or indirectly, (i) creating a false appearance or otherwise deceiving any person about the price or trading market for any security, or (ii) making any false or misleading statement, or disseminating any false or misleading documents, materials, or information, concerning matters relating to a decision by an investor or prospective investor to buy or sell securities of any company. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). II. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) [15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)] in the offer or sale of any security by the 3 use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce or by use of the mails, directly or indirectly: (a) to employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (b) to obtain money or property by means of any untrue statement of a material fact or any omission of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (c) to engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser, by, directly or indirectly, (i) creating a false appearance or otherwise deceiving any person about the price or trading market for any security, or (ii) making any false or misleading statement, or disseminating any false or misleading documents, materials, or information, concerning matters relating to a decision by an investor or prospective investor to buy or sell securities of any company. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). III. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating Section 5 of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77e] by, directly or indirectly, in the absence of any applicable exemption: (a) Unless a registration statement is in effect as to a security, making use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate 4 commerce or of the mails to sell such security through the use or medium of any prospectus or otherwise; (b) Unless a registration statement is in effect as to a security, carrying or causing to be carried through the mails or in interstate commerce, by any means or instruments of transportation, any such security for the purpose of sale or for delivery after sale; or (c) Making use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce or of the mails to offer to sell or offer to buy through the use or medium of any prospectus or otherwise any security, unless a registration statement has been filed with the Commission as to such security, or while the registration statement is the subject of a refusal order or stop order or (prior to the effective date of the registration statement) any public proceeding or examination under Section 8 of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77h]. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). IV. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is liable on a joint and several basis with Defendant Steve A. Smith, Jr. for disgorgement of $436,000, representing net profits gained as a result of the conduct alleged in the Complaint, together with prejudgment interest thereon in the amount of $97,509, and that Defendant is individually liable for a civil penalty in the amount of $436,000 pursuant to Section 5 20(d) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77t(d)] and Section 21(d)(3) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(3)]. Defendant shall satisfy this obligation by paying $969,509 to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the terms of the payment schedule set forth in paragraph V below after entry of this Final Judgment. Defendant may transmit payment electronically to the Commission, which will provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon request. Payment may also be made directly from a bank account via Pay.gov through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm. Defendant may also pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United States postal money order payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which shall be delivered or mailed to Enterprise Services Center Accounts Receivable Branch 6500 South MacArthur Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73169 and shall be accompanied by a letter identifying the case title, civil action number, and name of this Court; Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. as a defendant in this action; and specifying that payment is made pursuant to this Final Judgment. Defendant shall simultaneously transmit photocopies of evidence of payment and case identifying information to the Commission’s counsel in this action. By making this payment, Defendant relinquishes all legal and equitable right, title, and interest in such funds and no part of the funds shall be returned to Defendant. The Commission may enforce the Court’s judgment for disgorgement and prejudgment interest by using all collection procedures authorized by law, including, but not limited to, moving for civil contempt at any time after 30 days following entry of this Final Judgment. The Commission may enforce the Court’s judgment for penalties by the use of all 6 collection procedures authorized by law, including the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act, 28 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq., and moving for civil contempt for the violation of any Court orders issued in this action. Defendant shall pay post judgment interest on any amounts due after 30 days of the entry of this Final Judgment pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1961. The Commission shall hold the funds, together with any interest and income earned thereon (collectively, the “Fund”), pending further order of the Court. The Commission may propose a plan to distribute the Fund subject to the Court’s approval. Such a plan may provide that the Fund shall be distributed pursuant to the Fair Fund provisions of Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Court shall retain jurisdiction over the administration of any distribution of the Fund and the Fund may only be disbursed pursuant to an Order of the Court. Regardless of whether any such Fair Fund distribution is made, amounts ordered to be paid as civil penalties pursuant to this Judgment shall be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Defendant shall not, after offset or reduction of any award of compensatory damages in any Related Investor Action based on Defendant’s payment of disgorgement in this action, argue that it is entitled to, nor shall it further benefit by, offset or reduction of such compensatory damages award by the amount of any part of Defendant’s payment of a civil penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such a Penalty Offset, Defendant shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount of the Penalty Offset to the United States Treasury or to a Fair Fund, as the Commission directs. Such a payment shall not be deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil penalty imposed in this Judgment. For purposes of this paragraph, a 7 “Related Investor Action” means a private damages action brought against Defendant by or on behalf of one or more investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Complaint in this action. V. Defendant shall pay the total of disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and penalty due of $969,509 in four (4) installment payments according to the following schedule: (1) $242,377 within 90 days after entry of this Final Judgment; (2) $242,377 within 180 days after entry of this Final Judgment; (3) $242,377 within 270 days after entry of this Final Judgment; and (4) the remaining balance within 364 days after entry of this Final Judgment. Payments shall be deemed made on the date they are received by the Commission and shall be applied first to post judgment interest, which accrues pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1961 on any unpaid amounts due after 30 days of the entry of Final Judgment. Prior to making the final payment set forth herein, Defendant shall contact the staff of the Commission for the amount due for the final payment. If Defendant fails to make any payment by the date agreed and/or in the amount agreed according to the schedule set forth above, all outstanding payments under this Final Judgment, including post-judgment interest, minus any payments made, shall become due and payable immediately at the discretion of the staff of the Commission without further application to the Court. VI. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the Consent is incorporated herein with the same force and effect as if fully set forth herein, and that Defendant shall comply with all of the undertakings and agreements set forth therein. VII. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that this Court shall 8 retain jurisdiction of this matter for the purposes of enforcing the terms of this Final Judgment. VIII. There being no just reason for delay, pursuant to Rule 54(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Clerk is ordered to enter this Final Judgment forthwith and without further notice. DONE AND ORDERED in Miami, Florida, this 14th day of April, 2025. _________________________________ RODOLFO A. RUIZ II UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA CASE NO. 24-CV-24802-RAR SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. STEVE A. SMITH, JR., and XTREME FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS, INC., Defendants. ______________________________________________/ FINAL JUDGMENT AS TO DEFENDANT XTREME FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS, INC. THIS CAUSE comes before the Court on Plaintiff Securities and Exchange Commission’s Unopposed Motion for Entry of Final Judgments Against Defendants (“Motion”), [ECF No. 16]. The Court having reviewed the Motion, the record, and being otherwise fully advised, it is hereby ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that the Motion is GRANTED and Final Judgment as to Defendant Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. is hereby entered as follows: The Securities and Exchange Commission having filed a Complaint and Defendant Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. having entered a general appearance; consented to the Court’s jurisdiction over Defendant and the subject matter of this action; consented to entry of this Final Judgment without admitting or denying the allegations of the Complaint (except as to jurisdiction); waived findings of fact and conclusions of law; and waived any right to appeal from this Final Judgment: I. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating, directly or indirectly, Section 10(b) of the Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 1 of 8 2 Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder [17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5], by using any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, or of the mails, or of any facility of any national securities exchange, in connection with the purchase or sale of any security: (a) to employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (b) to make any untrue statement of a material fact or to omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (c) to engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person, by, directly or indirectly, (i) creating a false appearance or otherwise deceiving any person about the price or trading market for any security, or (ii) making any false or misleading statement, or disseminating any false or misleading documents, materials, or information, concerning matters relating to a decision by an investor or prospective investor to buy or sell securities of any company. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). II. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) [15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)] in the offer or sale of any security by the Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 2 of 8 3 use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce or by use of the mails, directly or indirectly: (a) to employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (b) to obtain money or property by means of any untrue statement of a material fact or any omission of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (c) to engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser, by, directly or indirectly, (i) creating a false appearance or otherwise deceiving any person about the price or trading market for any security, or (ii) making any false or misleading statement, or disseminating any false or misleading documents, materials, or information, concerning matters relating to a decision by an investor or prospective investor to buy or sell securities of any company. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). III. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating Section 5 of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77e] by, directly or indirectly, in the absence of any applicable exemption: (a) Unless a registration statement is in effect as to a security, making use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 3 of 8 4 commerce or of the mails to sell such security through the use or medium of any prospectus or otherwise; (b) Unless a registration statement is in effect as to a security, carrying or causing to be carried through the mails or in interstate commerce, by any means or instruments of transportation, any such security for the purpose of sale or for delivery after sale; or (c) Making use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce or of the mails to offer to sell or offer to buy through the use or medium of any prospectus or otherwise any security, unless a registration statement has been filed with the Commission as to such security, or while the registration statement is the subject of a refusal order or stop order or (prior to the effective date of the registration statement) any public proceeding or examination under Section 8 of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77h]. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). IV. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is liable on a joint and several basis with Defendant Steve A. Smith, Jr. for disgorgement of $436,000, representing net profits gained as a result of the conduct alleged in the Complaint, together with prejudgment interest thereon in the amount of $97,509, and that Defendant is individually liable for a civil penalty in the amount of $436,000 pursuant to Section Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 4 of 8 5 20(d) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77t(d)] and Section 21(d)(3) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(3)]. Defendant shall satisfy this obligation by paying $969,509 to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the terms of the payment schedule set forth in paragraph V below after entry of this Final Judgment. Defendant may transmit payment electronically to the Commission, which will provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon request. Payment may also be made directly from a bank account via Pay.gov through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm. Defendant may also pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United States postal money order payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which shall be delivered or mailed to Enterprise Services Center Accounts Receivable Branch 6500 South MacArthur Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73169 and shall be accompanied by a letter identifying the case title, civil action number, and name of this Court; Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. as a defendant in this action; and specifying that payment is made pursuant to this Final Judgment. Defendant shall simultaneously transmit photocopies of evidence of payment and case identifying information to the Commission’s counsel in this action. By making this payment, Defendant relinquishes all legal and equitable right, title, and interest in such funds and no part of the funds shall be returned to Defendant. The Commission may enforce the Court’s judgment for disgorgement and prejudgment interest by using all collection procedures authorized by law, including, but not limited to, moving for civil contempt at any time after 30 days following entry of this Final Judgment. The Commission may enforce the Court’s judgment for penalties by the use of all Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 5 of 8 6 collection procedures authorized by law, including the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act, 28 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq., and moving for civil contempt for the violation of any Court orders issued in this action. Defendant shall pay post judgment interest on any amounts due after 30 days of the entry of this Final Judgment pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1961. The Commission shall hold the funds, together with any interest and income earned thereon (collectively, the “Fund”), pending further order of the Court. The Commission may propose a plan to distribute the Fund subject to the Court’s approval. Such a plan may provide that the Fund shall be distributed pursuant to the Fair Fund provisions of Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Court shall retain jurisdiction over the administration of any distribution of the Fund and the Fund may only be disbursed pursuant to an Order of the Court. Regardless of whether any such Fair Fund distribution is made, amounts ordered to be paid as civil penalties pursuant to this Judgment shall be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Defendant shall not, after offset or reduction of any award of compensatory damages in any Related Investor Action based on Defendant’s payment of disgorgement in this action, argue that it is entitled to, nor shall it further benefit by, offset or reduction of such compensatory damages award by the amount of any part of Defendant’s payment of a civil penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such a Penalty Offset, Defendant shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount of the Penalty Offset to the United States Treasury or to a Fair Fund, as the Commission directs. Such a payment shall not be deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil penalty imposed in this Judgment. For purposes of this paragraph, a Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 6 of 8 7 “Related Investor Action” means a private damages action brought against Defendant by or on behalf of one or more investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Complaint in this action. V. Defendant shall pay the total of disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and penalty due of $969,509 in four (4) installment payments according to the following schedule: (1) $242,377 within 90 days after entry of this Final Judgment; (2) $242,377 within 180 days after entry of this Final Judgment; (3) $242,377 within 270 days after entry of this Final Judgment; and (4) the remaining balance within 364 days after entry of this Final Judgment. Payments shall be deemed made on the date they are received by the Commission and shall be applied first to post judgment interest, which accrues pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1961 on any unpaid amounts due after 30 days of the entry of Final Judgment. Prior to making the final payment set forth herein, Defendant shall contact the staff of the Commission for the amount due for the final payment. If Defendant fails to make any payment by the date agreed and/or in the amount agreed according to the schedule set forth above, all outstanding payments under this Final Judgment, including post-judgment interest, minus any payments made, shall become due and payable immediately at the discretion of the staff of the Commission without further application to the Court. VI. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the Consent is incorporated herein with the same force and effect as if fully set forth herein, and that Defendant shall comply with all of the undertakings and agreements set forth therein. VII. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that this Court shall Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 7 of 8 8 retain jurisdiction of this matter for the purposes of enforcing the terms of this Final Judgment. VIII. There being no just reason for delay, pursuant to Rule 54(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Clerk is ordered to enter this Final Judgment forthwith and without further notice. DONE AND ORDERED in Miami, Florida, this 14th day of April, 2025. _________________________________ RODOLFO A. RUIZ II UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE Case 1:24-cv-24802-RAR Document 18 Entered on FLSD Docket 04/15/2025 Page 8 of 8