Veritaseum Hit with $8 Million in SEC Fines

In another example of the SEC turning up the heat on firms, the regulatory body hit Veritaseum and its CEO with hefty fines. Veritaseum had been embroiled in an SEC trial since earlier in the year. The SEC alleged the firm illegally sold securities to investors. Now the company must pay $8 million in fines and judgments as part of its retribution.

As previously reported, Veritaseum LLC, its CEO Reggie Middleton, and a sister firm, registered in NY, Veritaseum Inc. faced serious scrutiny from the SEC for its 2017 – 2018 ICO. During the unregistered coin offering, the firm secured $14.8 million in funding from investors.

Veritaseum Complaints

By mid-2018, the SEC received numerous complaints of fraudulent activity on the part of Mr. Middleton. For example, the SEC report alleged Middleton downplayed the risks involved in the investment. Additionally, he misrepresented the tokens his company offered.

Tokens are not Coupons

On multiple occasions, he referred to the tokens as securities or software. The report states that at least on one occasion, he told investors the tokens were similar to gift cards.

Hacking Incident

On top of the troubling miss information campaign, Veritaseum had other shady incidents occur during its now controversial ICO. According to Middleton, the company was the victim of a hacker that stole $8 million from funds raised. Of course, these funds were never recovered. Consequently, the incident added to the black cloud accumulating over the Veritaseum camp.

Veritaseum via CoinMarketCap

SEC Responds

In August of this year, the SEC responded to investor complaints. The regulatory body sent Middleton a cease-and-desist. As part of the complaint, Middleton's ability to host an ICO or operate his firms was put on freeze.

SEC Enters Talks

The SEC entered official settlement talks with Veritaseum on OCT 9. This decision followed a postponement of the original trial date until Nov. 14, 2019, by the New York Eastern District Court.

According to reports, Veritaseum must now pay $8.4 million in disgorgement fines. Of these fines, $7,891,600.00 goes to defendant liabilities. Additionally, the company is liable for a civil penalty of up to $1 million and a prejudgment interest amount of $582,535.

Veritaseum Hit Hard

The news hit Veritaseum's market value hard. Since the start of the trial, Veritaseum lost around 35% of its value. The token fell from around $25 per coin to $15, before rebounding slightly to $18.71.

SEC on the War Path

The SEC has been on a mission to crack down on ICOs from the 2017 crypto craze. Regulators already hit Sia with a $225,000 for its 2017 ICO in which the firm raised $120,000. EOS is another example of the SEC crackdown. The company must pay $24 million for its $4.1 billion 2017 ICO. While both firms faced charges for illegally selling securities, neither had such significant misrepresentation claims put against them as Veritaseum.

Veritaseum is Unique

In this manner, Veritaseum is significant. The firm is still operating but Middleton is no longer able to conduct blockchain crowdfunding ventures. It's hard to say exactly what the long term effects of the settlement will be. For now, the crypto community must watch and wait patiently to see the results.