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

SEC Obtains Emergency Relief To Halt Alleged Ponzi Scheme

Posted on June 3rd, 2022 at 8:40 AM
SEC Obtains Emergency Relief To Halt Alleged Ponzi Scheme

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has successfully obtained emergency relief, including asset freezes, against two investment advisory firms and their owners for allegedly selling pre-IPO shares that they did not own. 

The SEC has charged StraightPath Venture Partners, StraightPath Management, Brian Martinsen, Michael Castillero, Francine Lanaia, and Eric Lachow with allegedly collecting unauthorized fees and commingling investor funds. The defendants generated at least $410 million from nearly 2,200 investors through an unregistered advisory firm between November 2017 and February 2022, according to the SEC. The SEC additionally alleged that the defendants falsely informed investors that each investment would be kept separate and that there would be no upfront fees. 

However, the defendants proceeded to commingle investor funds and fraudulently collect at least $75 million, according to the SEC. The SEC also alleged that the defendants concealed from investors that Castillero and Lanaia were illegally operating the funds because they were each previously barred from the industry. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) barred Castillero in 2019 and Lanaia in 2018. The SEC’s complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement and civil penalties. 

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

 
 
 

Tags: eccleston law, sec, ponzi scheme

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

I am so blessed to have you and your dynamic team defending me. Your ethics, forward thinking and strategies are amazing.  You guys are the best group of attorneys in the country that I could hire to handle this complicated case.

Cindy C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1793123026 Law
October 27, 2026
CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Crypto Asset Regulatory Framework

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public comment on a potential regulatory framework for retail commodity transactions involving crypto assets, which the agency calls "CTXs." According to the CFTC's press release, the initiative focuses on Section 2(c)(2)(D) of th...

1793034027 Law
October 26, 2026
FINRA Bars Former Wedbush Broker Over $3.5 Million in Complex ETP Losses

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) barred former Wedbush Securities broker William H.

1792610544 Law
October 21, 2026
FINRA Fines and Suspends Former LPL Broker Over Undisclosed Customer Settlement

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined former LPL Financial broker Gregory W.