Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

SEC Charges Texas Entities Over Oil and Gas Fraud

Posted on January 19th, 2022 at 12:50 PM
SEC Charges Texas Entities Over Oil and Gas Fraud

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged The Heartland Group Ventures, Heartland Production and Recovery, six other Heartland-affiliated entities, four Heartland-affiliated individuals as well as several oil and gas operators. 

The SEC’s charges pertain to five fraudulent and unregistered oil and gas offerings. According to the complaint, the Heartland-affiliated entities fraudulently generated at least $122 million since October 2019 from nearly 700 investors through the five unregistered securities. The funds purportedly were raised to drill new oil wells in Texas. However, the Heartland-affiliates spent only around half of the investor funds on the oil and gas projects, which raised less than $500,000 in revenue, according to the SEC. 

By late 2019, the Heartland-affiliates utilized $26 million of investor funds to make Ponzi-style payments to earlier investors while the affiliates regularly misrepresented the status of the oil and gas projects. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has already issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) and asset freeze against the defendants and their entities. 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, oil fraud, gas fraud, fraud

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Jim, Stephany and the whole team were a God send.  We felt like we were put into a situation where we had no advocate. Jim’s team came in with a strong, well laid out strategy on how to get our story heard. Where our outside compliance company had no ability to help, our Broker Dealer was impenitent, and the regulators were aggressive pursuing vague rules, Jim came like a barricade against an assault we did not understand. Though you pay member dues to be affiliated with FINRA and a B/D, you have no voice. The only thing that is truly heard in this un-level playing field is a bulldog’s bark like Jim’s. I would encourage anyone to call Jim and his team to find a real ally in the tough and complicated world of securities regulation. They are truly the best.

Greg P.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1792164960 Law
October 16, 2026
Ameriprise and Broker Ordered to Pay Edward Jones Nearly $4.8 Million in Trade Secrets Dispute

Ameriprise Financial and broker Cory J.

1792083058 Law
October 15, 2026
SEC Warns Firms to Improve Private Asset Valuation and Disclosures

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is pressing financial firms to take greater care when valuing private assets as liquidity tightens and investor redemption requests increase, according to AdvisorHub.

1791996515 Law
October 14, 2026
FINRA Study Finds Advanced Investment Knowledge Does Not Eliminate Fraud Risk

Research using the FINRA Investor Education Foundation's 2024 National Financial Capability Study found that fewer than one in five investors with non-retirement investments demonstrate advanced investment literacy.