SEC v. Devon Archer; Francisco Martin; Jason Galanis; John Galanis; Bevan Cooney; Hugh Dunkerley, et al., No. LR-23689, Southern District of New York (Nov. 16, 2016) — Press Release
raw: Devon Archer, et al.
Devon Archer, et al., No. LR-23689 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 16, 2016)
Francisco Martin and seven co-defendants, including Jason Galanis, were charged by the SEC with defrauding investors in a $43 million sham Native American tribal bond scheme, with the outcome pending.
The SEC alleged that Martin and the co-defendants misused $43 million in bond proceeds for luxury purchases, an IPO, and legal fees, rather than investing in annuities as promised. Martin received $150,000 for his role in the scheme, posing as an independent investment manager. The defendants were charged with violating various securities laws, including Sections 17(a) and 10(b) of the Securities Act and Exchange Act.
The SEC charged Francisco Martin and seven others, including Jason and John Galanis, in a $43 million fraud scheme involving sham Native American tribal bonds. Martin, posing as the managing director of a fake investment manager, facilitated the diversion of bond proceeds to Jason Galanis’s controlled accounts, enabling luxury spending and funding unrelated ventures. The defendants allegedly misused the funds for personal expenses, including luxury purchases at high-end retailers and an IPO of a technology company. The SEC also alleged that investor money was diverted to pay attorneys representing Jason and John Galanis in a separate criminal case. The defendants were accused of violating securities anti-fraud provisions and investment adviser laws. The SEC seeks disgorgement, penalties, injunctions, and officer-director bars against key players. Jason and John Galanis, along with several co-defendants, also face parallel criminal charges pending in federal court.
Exhibits & Attached Documents (1)
Extracted insights
- $43.00M $43 million $10M–$100M
- $150K $150,000 $100K–$1M
- person Francisco Martin
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- organization Securities and Exchange Commission
- agency the sec's amended complaint
- agency the securities and exchange commission
- the Securities and Exchange Commission added Francisco Martin of Woodland Hills, California to a civil injunctive action
- the SEC charged him with defrauding investors in sham Native American tribal bonds
- the SEC's amended complaint alleges that Martin, along wit
- Securities and Exchange Commission charged Francisco Martin with defrauding investors in sham Native American tribal bonds
- Francisco Martin headed fake investment manager used in tribal bonds scheme
- Devon Archer charged Securities and Exchange Commission
- Securities and Exchange Commission added Francisco Martin
- Francisco Martin defrauded investors in sham Native American tribal bonds
- Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil injunctive action
- Francisco Martin headed fake investment manager
Litigation Release No. 23689 / November 16, 2016 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Devon Archer, et al., No. 16-cv-3505 (S.D.N.Y. filed May 11, 2016) SEC Charges Individual Who Headed Fake Investment Manager Used In Tribal Bonds Scheme On November 14, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission added Francisco Martin of Woodland Hills, California to a civil injunctive action currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charging him with defrauding investors in sham Native American tribal bonds. The SEC's amended complaint alleges that Martin, along with seven other co-defendants, participated in a scheme to convince a Native American tribal corporation affiliated with the Wakpamni District of the Oglala Sioux Nation to issue limited recourse bonds that Jason Galanis and his father, John Galanis, had already structured. As Jason Galanis allegedly told two of his associates, the "primary objective" of the scheme was to provide Jason Galanis and his associates "a source of discretionary liquidity." Jason Galanis then allegedly acquired two investment advisory firms and installed officers to arrange the purchase of $43 million in bonds using clients' funds. The amended complaint further alleges that in exchange for $150,000 from Jason Galanis, Martin served as the "Managing Director" or "Portfolio Manager" of a fake entity that was held out to bond investors as an independent investment manager for the bond proceeds. Through his role with the fake investment manager, Martin facilitated the transfer of proceeds from investors in the tribal bonds to Jason Galanis and his associates. The SEC further alleges that instead of investing bond proceeds as promised in annuities to benefit the tribal corporation and generate sufficient income to repay bondholders, the money wound up in a bank account in Florida belonging to a company controlled by Jason Galanis and his associates. Among their alleged misuses of the misappropriated funds were luxury purchases at such retailers as Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Barneys, Prada, and Gucci, and to support an IPO of a technology company in which Jason Galanis and several other defendants had interests. Investor money also was diverted to pay attorneys representing Jason and John Galanis in a separate criminal case brought parallel to the SEC's stock fraud charges last year. In addition to Martin, and Jason and John Galanis, the amended complaint also names as defendants Devon Archer of Brooklyn, N.Y., Bevan Cooney of Incline Village, Nev., Hugh Dunkerley of Irvine, Calif., Gary Hirst of Lake Mary, Fla., and Michelle Morton of Colonia, N.J., all of whom were charged in the original complaint in this matter. The amended complaint charges Archer, Cooney, Dunkerley, Hirst, Jason Galanis, John Galanis and Martin with violations of Sections 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder and Morton with violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, and Rules 10b-5(a), (b) and (c) thereunder, Sections 206(1), 206(2) and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder, and Section 209(f) of the Advisers Act by aiding and abetting violations of Section 206(1), 206(2) and 206(4) of the Advisers Act, and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. In addition, the Commission alleges, in the alternative, that Archer, Cooney, Dunkerley, Hirst, John Galanis and Martin violated Section 15(b) of the Securities Act by aiding and abetting violations of Section 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act and Section 20(3) of the Exchange Act by aiding and abetting violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder. The SEC seeks disgorgement plus interest and penalties as well as permanent injunctions against all defendants, and officer-and-director bars against Jason Galanis, Archer, Dunkerley, and Morton. Jason and John Galanis, Archer, Cooney, Dunkerley, Hirst and Morton were also charged criminally by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The criminal action is still pending. The SEC's litigation is being led by Nancy A. Brown, Tejal Shah, and H. Gregory Baker, and is being supervised by Sanjay Wadhwa. For further information, see Litigation Release No. 23535 (May 11, 2016). SEC Complaint
Litigation Release No. 23689 / November 16, 2016 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Devon Archer, et al., No. 16-cv-3505 (S.D.N.Y. filed May 11, 2016) SEC Charges Individual Who Headed Fake Investment Manager Used In Tribal Bonds Scheme On November 14, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission added Francisco Martin of Woodland Hills, California to a civil injunctive action currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charging him with defrauding investors in sham Native American tribal bonds. The SEC's amended complaint alleges that Martin, along with seven other co-defendants, participated in a scheme to convince a Native American tribal corporation affiliated with the Wakpamni District of the Oglala Sioux Nation to issue limited recourse bonds that Jason Galanis and his father, John Galanis, had already structured. As Jason Galanis allegedly told two of his associates, the "primary objective" of the scheme was to provide Jason Galanis and his associates "a source of discretionary liquidity." Jason Galanis then allegedly acquired two investment advisory firms and installed officers to arrange the purchase of $43 million in bonds using clients' funds. The amended complaint further alleges that in exchange for $150,000 from Jason Galanis, Martin served as the "Managing Director" or "Portfolio Manager" of a fake entity that was held out to bond investors as an independent investment manager for the bond proceeds. Through his role with the fake investment manager, Martin facilitated the transfer of proceeds from investors in the tribal bonds to Jason Galanis and his associates. The SEC further alleges that instead of investing bond proceeds as promised in annuities to benefit the tribal corporation and generate sufficient income to repay bondholders, the money wound up in a bank account in Florida belonging to a company controlled by Jason Galanis and his associates. Among their alleged misuses of the misappropriated funds were luxury purchases at such retailers as Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Barneys, Prada, and Gucci, and to support an IPO of a technology company in which Jason Galanis and several other defendants had interests. Investor money also was diverted to pay attorneys representing Jason and John Galanis in a separate criminal case brought parallel to the SEC's stock fraud charges last year. In addition to Martin, and Jason and John Galanis, the amended complaint also names as defendants Devon Archer of Brooklyn, N.Y., Bevan Cooney of Incline Village, Nev., Hugh Dunkerley of Irvine, Calif., Gary Hirst of Lake Mary, Fla., and Michelle Morton of Colonia, N.J., all of whom were charged in the original complaint in this matter. The amended complaint charges Archer, Cooney, Dunkerley, Hirst, Jason Galanis, John Galanis and Martin with violations of Sections 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder and Morton with violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, and Rules 10b-5(a), (b) and (c) thereunder, Sections 206(1), 206(2) and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder, and Section 209(f) of the Advisers Act by aiding and abetting violations of Section 206(1), 206(2) and 206(4) of the Advisers Act, and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. In addition, the Commission alleges, in the alternative, that Archer, Cooney, Dunkerley, Hirst, John Galanis and Martin violated Section 15(b) of the Securities Act by aiding and abetting violations of Section 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act and Section 20(3) of the Exchange Act by aiding and abetting violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5(a) and (c) thereunder. The SEC seeks disgorgement plus interest and penalties as well as permanent injunctions against all defendants, and officer-and-director bars against Jason Galanis, Archer, Dunkerley, and Morton. Jason and John Galanis, Archer, Cooney, Dunkerley, Hirst and Morton were also charged criminally by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The criminal action is still pending. The SEC's litigation is being led by Nancy A. Brown, Tejal Shah, and H. Gregory Baker, and is being supervised by Sanjay Wadhwa. For further information, see Litigation Release No. 23535 (May 11, 2016). SEC Complaint