News Releases

Sep 1
2020

Oil Well Investments are not Similar to Annuities: Texas Stops Deceptive Oil Offering

A working interest in an oil and gas prospect that provides “annuity-like” payments? It’s a deceptive securities offering, according to an emergency cease and desist order entered by Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles. Energy Investment Partners LLC, a Dallas company, and John Robert “Bob”...
Aug 6
2020

Consent Order Entered Resolving Unregistered Activity

The State Securities Board and Solium Financial Services, LLC resolved the firm’s unregistered dealer activity over an extended period of time with the entry of a consent order. Solium agreed to comply with the provisions of Section 12.A of the Texas Securities Act. This matter was the result of the...
Jul 27
2020

Commissioner enters order against Georgetown promoter of fraudulent medical investment

Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles entered an order finding that Georgetown resident Randall “Randy” Johnson engaged in an illegal and fraudulent offering of investments tied to medical devices. The order also found Johnson engaged in a scheme to obstruct the investigation of the Enforcement...
Jul 16
2020

COMMISSIONER STOPS MIND CAPITAL FROM MARKETING FRAUDULENT INTERNATIONAL CRYPTOCURRENCY PYRAMID SCHEME TO TEXANS

Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles brought an emergency action to stop Mind Capital OÜ aka Mind Capital Tech SL, a Spanish and Estonian domiciled company, from illegally promoting a cryptocurrency investment pyramid scheme in Texas. According to the order, investors purchase MCcoin, an internal...
Jul 9
2020

Houston May Have a Problem…

The Texas State Securities Board issued two emergency cease and desist orders against firms and individuals claiming to provide lucrative investment opportunities in international cryptocurrency trading platforms that trade bitcoin and mine cryptocurrency. The subjects of the orders purport to...
Jul 7
2020

Commissioner Shuts Down Fraudulent International Multilevel Marketing Investment Scheme In Texas

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles entered an emergency action to stop Mirror Trading International PTY LTD, a South African international, multilevel marketing get-rich-quick scheme. He also cited four of its stateside, multilevel marketing agents, accusing them of illegally soliciting...
Jun 17
2020

Today's Texas State Securities Board Action is Best Served with a Caffeinated Beverage - It's a Long Read About Long Running Oil and Gas Bad Actors

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles entered an Emergency Cease and Desist Order against Emilio “Mike” Barrera, Jr., a McKinney resident now wearing a monitoring device while on house arrest, from allegedly promoting a fraudulent nationwide oil investment scheme. Barrera, who was recently...
Jun 16
2020

Texas State Securities Board Update on North American Response to COVID-19 and its Impact on Retail Investors

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) today updated the status of the work of the COVID-19 Enforcement Task Force, consisting of state and provincial securities regulators, to identify and stop potential threats to investors stemming from the pandemic. Since March 1st, the...
Jun 12
2020

Securities Commissioner Announces Settlement of Claims Against Oil and Gas Exploration Company

On November 22, 2019, the Texas Securities Commissioner entered an Emergency Cease and Desist Order to stop Texas and Canadian businesses from illegally offering investments in an oil exploration program in Wagoner County, Oklahoma. Today, the agency announces the settlement of its case against the...