DeFi Lender In Trouble: SEC Charges Perpetrators For Raising $30 Million Illegally

A DeFi lender plus two of its top executives face a lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC accused the firm of raising $30 million illegally by selling securities not registered with them.

The firm called Blockchain Credit Partners is operating in the Cayman Islands. Its top executives, Derek Acree and Gregory Keough are also part of the accused. The securities sale took place from February 2020 to February 2021.

Smart Contract Sales of $30 Million Securities

SEC disclosed that DeFi lender used smart contracts in token sales. These securities are securities under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s definition. The products were mToken that investors can buy with “specific digital assets,” paying an interest of 6.25% in interests.

In the press release, the commission implied that the lender used “investor assets to buy real-world assets such as car loans With that. BCP could now generate enough income to pay the outrageously high interest & surplus profits that it promises to pay investors.

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The second token BCP sold is the DMG governance token which empowers users to vote & gain from resales.

According to the press release, the commission stated that securities laws require operators to maintain an honest and full disclosure of their activities.

In addition, the law doesn’t mind the technology through which they sell securities. Investors, therefore, should make better decisions and help to stop issuers from deceiving the public.

SEC Accuses DeFi Protocol

The decentralized sector has seen a lot of growth and recognition. But it is yet to face the wrath of the watchdog. But that record has been broken as this lawsuit marks the first time that SEC comes out against a project.

According to the SEC’s Chief of “Enforcement Division’s Complex Financial Instrument Unit (EDCFIU)” Daniel Michael, federal laws reach every market sector. He implied that the law would land without mercy on those fraudulent operators who aim to mask their activities in emerging technologies.

Moreover, he stated that even though the firm labeled the offering as decentralized and called the tokens “governance tokens,” it didn’t stop the commission from acting accordingly. As a result, SEC shut down the market and made BCP pay back the investors.

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We learned from the press release that the two BCP executives would pay a fine of $125,000 each to the commission. The duo will also pay an additional $12.8 million in “disgorgement” via a “cease-and-desist order” Both Acree and Keough have settled and didn’t make statements about the lawsuit.

Featured image from Pixabay

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