Regulatory & Compliance
The SEC's $80 Million Pacific Fund Case: Seven Red Flags Every Accredited Investor Should Know
The SEC charged Bay Area fund managers Mark Hanf and Nam Phan with a Ponzi-like scheme raising $80 million from 190 mostly retired investors, leaving less than $17 million to cover $121 million owed.
Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
Regulatory & Compliance
Wells Real Estate's $56 Million Ponzi Scheme Shows What Unregistered Broker-Dealers Actually Cost You
TL;DR: In August 2026, a federal judge sentenced Joseph Wells to 20 years in prison after the SEC and federal prosecutors alleged that Wells Real
Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
Regulatory & Compliance
SEC Charges Southern California Man in $940,000 Fake Trading Fraud: What Every Investor Must Check First
TL;DR: On September 3, 2026, the SEC filed a federal fraud complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (case
Jeff Barnes, MBA··10 min read
Regulatory & Compliance
The $400 Million ATM Ponzi: How Daryl Heller Fooled 2,700 Investors and the Red Flags They Missed
By Jeff Barnes, MBA | Regulatory Compliance Here is the short version: the SEC charged Daryl F. Heller and his Pennsylvania companies with running a $770 million Ponzi scheme that destroyed $402 milli
Jeff Barnes, MBA··11 min read