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SEC's New Cyber Unit Moves to Tackle 'Scam' Coin Offering

By Ben Hancock
January 01, 2018

In the first enforcement action initiated by its new “Cyber Unit,” the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced it has secured a court order to freeze the assets of individuals behind a “scam” initial coin offering, or ICO.

The case, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, NY, targets an allegedly repeat securities fraudster in Canada who promised purchasers of a digital token called “PlexCoin” quick returns on their money — potentially exceeding 1,000%.

The court issued an emergency order allowing the SEC to freeze the assets of defendants Dominic Lacroix and Sabrina Paradis-Royer, according a press release from the commission. Lacroix has been the target of previous legal enforcement action over PlexCoin by financial authorities in Quebec, the SEC's complaint says.

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