Securities and Exchange Commission v. Rudden, et al., No. 18-cv-01842 (D. Colo. filed July 19, 2018)
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced the unsealing of fraud charges against a group of companies and their principal who allegedly bilked at least 150 investors in a $55 million Ponzi scheme. The SEC obtained an emergency asset freeze and other relief.
According to the SEC’s complaint, Daniel B. Rudden and a group of companies operating under the name Financial Visions, which issued promissory notes to fund its operations in short-term financing for funeral services and related expenses, defrauded as many as 150 investors after promising them annual returns of 12% or more. The complaint alleges that since 2010 or 2011, Rudden used new investor funds to pay interest and redemptions to existing investors and concealed the Financial Visions companies’ true financial performance and condition. The complaint also alleges that Rudden continued to represent the business as successful to existing and prospective investors when he knew that he was running a Ponzi scheme.