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August 04, 2014 at 05:31 AM
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday that it has obtained a final judgment in federal court in Tennessee requiring a Richmond, Va.-based financial services holding company, a subsidiary brokerage firm, and their CEO to pay nearly $70 million as the outcome of a trial that found them liable for fraud.
The SEC’s complaint filed against AIC Inc., Community Bankers Securities LLC, and Nicholas D. Skaltsounis alleged that they conducted an offering fraud while selling AIC promissory notes and stock to numerous investors across multiple states, many of whom were elderly or unsophisticated brokerage customers.
“They misrepresented and omitted material information about the investments when pitching them to investors, including the safety and risk associated with the investments, the rates of return, and how the proceeds would be used by AIC,” the SEC states.
In reality, the SEC said that AIC and its subsidiaries were never profitable, and Skaltsounis and the companies used money raised from new investors to pay back principal and returns to existing investors.
“The very significant penalties in this case reinforce the message that we’re prepared to aggressively pursue companies and individuals, and when necessary take them to trial, in order to hold them accountable when they aren’t truthful with investors,” said Andrew Ceresney, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, in a statement.
