Legal Implications of Social Media Pump and Dump Schemes

A group of social media influencers were accused of engaging in a pump and dump scheme, but a Texas court dismissed all charges against them.

### The Legalization of Pump and Dump Schemes: Implications for Financial Fraud and Regulation
* ⚖️  A Texas court recently dismissed charges against eight social media influencers accused of a $114 million pump and dump scheme, ruling that the government failed to prove **securities fraud**.
* 📉  The judge's decision was based on a **narrow interpretation** of "scheme to defraud" and "intent to defraud" under federal fraud statutes, requiring **direct harm to victims' traditional property rights**.
* 🏛️  The ruling is seen as an **outlier** and is likely to be appealed, with legal experts questioning its alignment with **established securities law and economic theory**.
* 📊  The decision could have broader implications for securities fraud cases, potentially making it **harder to prosecute schemes that harm investors indirectly through market manipulation**.
* 🔒  The dismissal highlights the challenges of applying traditional fraud laws to modern financial markets, where transactions are often mediated by intermediaries and rely on **market prices for information**.
* 💼  The case raises questions about the **regulatory environment for social media influencers** and the **potential risks of unregulated financial advice online**.
* 🔍  Legal experts suggest that the ruling may not set a precedent and could be overturned on appeal, but it underscores the **need for clarity in defining securities fraud in the digital age**.
* 📈  The outcome of this case could have **significant implications** for future enforcement actions and the **protection of investors** in increasingly complex financial markets.

Back in December 2022, I covered the story of eight US-based social media influencers charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud for a social media-based “pump and dump” scheme. One of them appears to have done some rapping, which is why I covered the story. The influencers had ripped jeans, tattoos, McLaren cars, those watches that online scammers always wear, and contrasting facial hair. They had a YouTube channel called “The Goblin Gang,” which claimed to show you what it’s like to be a multi-millionaire day trader, and a Podcast called “Pennies – Going in Raw,” where I imagine they discussed DCF models and stock valuation methods. (I haven’t actually listened to it – I’m not really interested in that stuff.) But on all their YouTube thumbnails, they had their mouths wide open – in the style of a Wall Street securities analyst or billionaire investor. The group (all of whom had silly nicknames)

were accused of engaging in a wide-ranging 
securities fraud conspiracy in which they used 
their extensive social media presence 
to hype interest in penny stocks by posting 
false and misleading information in order 
to “pump” the prices of those securities up, 
while concealing their intent to later “dump” 
their shares by selling them at the artificially 
inflated prices. Between January 2020 and April 
2022, the defendants are alleged to have made 
$114 million dollars in profit from their scheme.
Now, some of these actions might sound illegal 
to you. If you go to the SEC website (for 
example), pump and dump schemes are described 
as one of the most common investment frauds 
and fraud is usually considered a crime. So 
the case looked pretty simple to prosecute at 
the time as the SEC and criminal prosecutors had 
access to the eight defendants' trading histories 
their social media postings their discord chats 
and their private communications. And if there 
is one thing you can be sure of when people

are busy committing fraud, they send lots of emails documenting their illegal activities. Now, it might have been a struggle for the prosecutors tasked with reading their emails and social media posts, due to their terrible grammar and spelling, but, the original complaint shows that the influencers themselves felt that they were breaking the law and they frequently discussed how to conceal their illegal activities. We have since learned that they didn’t need to make as much effort concealing their activities as a Texas court recently dismissed all charges against them, ruling that the government failed to state an offense amounting to securities fraud. According to Matt Levine at Bloomberg – Pump and Dumps are Now Legal – and nothing is securities fraud. And while this might seem like bad news for investors, and even worse news for Gary Gensler (it’s hard to know what his job involves anymore). It is good news for me as I will be able

to restructure my YouTube channel, Twitter account – and most importantly my Instagram (where I have almost two thousand followers) to show people pictures of cars – and then trick them into buying penny stocks and various crypto tokens. Cornell Law School describes the steps of a pump and dump scheme on their website – which they still haven’t updated with the news that such schemes are now totally legal. They say that a typical “pump and dump” scheme begins with stock promoters loading up the stock of a microcap company. The promoters then promote or “pump” the stock (possibly by spreading false positive news about it), and if this is successful, the promoters continue to spread good news about the stock, while “dumping” their own position. Once they have sold, they move on, the stock price falls and the people who bought the stock lose their money. This is a decent description of how such a

scheme works, but it leaves out the important first step of showing people pictures of cars on the internet (which is why an Instagram account is so valuable.) They also leave out the bit about writing a memoir while in jail, becoming a motivational speaker and eventually teaching sales training courses. The whole – go to jail, write a memoir and become a motivational speaker bit is kinda out of date now that Pump and Dump schemes are entirely legal. A good motivational speaker needs that “Heroes Journey” where there is a call to adventure – then some sort of mentor guides you through the early challenges and later a crisis comes along which transforms you. If a pump and dump scheme doesn’t end with prison time, you just have an influencer who keeps pumping and dumping until people slowly grow tired of them – that’s not much of a book – it won’t be made into a film, and you can’t

really give motivational speeches about how 
people slowly got tired of you and moved on. While this dismissal may have been bad for 
investors, it’s even worse for Hollywood. So, why did a District Court Judge dismiss all charges 
against these defendants, and should you start your own pump and dump scheme as a side gig?
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code PATRICK at http://nordpass.com/patrick So, what went wrong in this court case? Well, the 
defendants were accused of committing securities   fraud (which is illegal under US federal law) 
by artificially pumping up stock prices with

bullish—and false—pronouncements and claims, 
that they were buying shares while instead selling their positions into the market at 
a profit, while their social media followers were buying. The court’s dismissal raises legal 
questions about what the government now has to prove to convict a defendant for engaging 
in a “scheme to defraud” with “intent to defraud” under the federal fraud statutes.
In his dismissal, the judge writes that even accepting as true that the victims ultimately 
lost money on the stock market because the value of their shares went down, the Defendants 
did not obtain something of value from those who were deceived. The investors' trading losses 
are one step too far removed from the defendants' alleged fraudulent misrepresentation. Instead, 
the property right of the investors that the defendants' conduct harmed, according to the 
judge, was their right to control their assets, or stated another way, was their right to 
make an informed discretionary decision.

This dismissal relies on two recent cases, both interpreting the “scheme to defraud” and “intent to defraud” elements under federal fraud statutes. The securities fraud charge in this case, according to the judge, required showing that the defendants intended to harm victims’ traditional property rights by causing them to buy the stock at allegedly inflated (or pumped up) prices. Because the losses to victims happened incidentally rather than as the “object of” the scheme, or because the defendants were totally indifferent to the effect of the scheme on their alleged victims, it was OK. So, the trick is that as long as you don’t care about – or don’t think about – the people you defraud, it’s probably legal. This judgment should also help people accused of insider trading, which also involves stock market transactions rather than personal transactions and are similarly aimed at making money rather than depriving a specific person of property.

The judge based his dismissal on a 2023 Supreme Court decision called Ciminelli v. The United States where, a contractor bribed public officials to get a city contract and was convicted of wire fraud. The Supreme Court overturned that decision ruling that that it is not wire fraud to “to deprive a victim of ‘potentially valuable economic information’ ‘necessary to make discretionary economic decisions,” only depriving victims of money is wire fraud. The other case the judge relied on was United States v. Greenlaw, a case on a “ponzi like” scheme where money was transferred out of one fund to pay distributions to another fund’s investors. The appellants argued that they did not intend to deprive their investors of money or property as a conviction under the fraud statutes requires. In that case the court found that the government had failed to prove that the investments in question were not worth what the investors had

paid for them, and that the criminal securities fraud statute requires a specific “intent to defraud,” not just a “scheme to defraud.” A Northwestern Law Review analysis by Sue Guan of Santa Clara University argues that a ruling that a fraud victim must directly surrender property to a fraudster means that any investor who buys listed securities on the basis of a fraudster’s misinformation cannot recover. She argues that this ignores longstanding tenets of economic theory and contradicts established securities law doctrine. Further, because the structural reality of today’s markets means that nearly every pump and dump scheme using social media will involve investors purchasing stock on the stock market, the ruling would effectively immunize nearly all fraud perpetrated using social media. Professor Guan explains in her paper that two foundational concepts underpin the informational focus of US securities laws. First, corporate finance theory teaches that stock prices can be expected to be efficient and act as

“information transmission mechanisms.” The more 
accurate stock prices are, the more efficiently stock markets can help allocate capital and 
productive resources across the economy. This is the argument that there is a direct link between 
stock prices and information about the stock. Securities jurisprudence, she explains, reflects 
this link between stock prices and information. A primary purpose of securities laws is to 
regulate information in markets. Two aspects of modern securities regulation work together to 
do this: the disclosure regime and prohibitions against fraud and manipulation. The disclosure 
regime incentivizes firms to disseminate accurate information, and the antifraud and 
antimanipulation prohibitions regulate and promote the accuracy of that information.
She highlights that antifraud and antimanipulation doctrine largely 
focus on fraud, deceit, falsity, and artificiality, and that court opinions in 
securities fraud and securities manipulation cases are riddled with the concern over the 
protection of the “integrity of market prices.”

In 1988, the Supreme Court endorsed what is known 
as “The fraud on The Market Theory.” That, in an   open and developed securities market, the price of 
a company’s stock is determined by the available   material information regarding the company and 
its business. Misleading statements, therefore,   defraud purchasers of stock even if the purchasers 
did not directly rely on the misstatements. The Court recognized with this theory 
that requiring each individual plaintiff   to prove direct reliance on a defendant’s 
alleged misrepresentation would create an   unrealistic evidentiary burden. So, 
while in face-to-face transactions,   the inquiry into an investor’s reliance upon 
information depends on how that information   affected the price the investor was willing 
to pay. With the existence of a market, the   market is interposed between seller and buyer and, 
ideally, transmits information to the investor in   the processed form of a market price. Thus, the 
market is performing a substantial part of the

valuation process performed by the investor in a face-to-face transaction. The market is acting as the unpaid agent of the investor, informing them that given all the information available to it, the stock is worth its market price. Courts recognize that investors who trade in public markets rely on the integrity of that price, and “because most publicly available information is reflected in market price, an investor's reliance on any public material misrepresentations may be presumed for purposes of law.” The Supreme Court recognized with the “Fraud on The Market Theory” how modern markets work where participants are buying and selling anonymously through market makers, brokers, exchanges, ETFs, and investment funds, rarely transacting directly with each other. In such a market, you can’t have a requirement that an investor is only able to make a claim if they bought securities directly from a fraudster, because that’s not how modern securities markets work. Because stock prices

transmit information, reliance on the integrity 
of market prices is enough. A fraudster only needs   to disseminate a lie or misinformation 
that is material - to break the law.  To somewhat misquote Matt Levine, if a direct 
connection between a fraudster and victim was   legally required, with the way modern markets 
work, you would never be able to conclusively   prove that the victim traded with the fraudster.
Dr. Guan points out in her paper that no such   “direct sale” requirement exists in 
the legal doctrine, nor is any such   requirement supported by economic theory.
In the Finfluencer case, the judge’s opinion   states that “while the Court acknowledges that 
defendants allegedly intended to “maximize their   own trading profits through their tweets and 
posts,” it finds that it is the “other half of   the equation—harming a victim’s traditional 
property right—that is lacking” as the only   thing the investors were deprived of 
was of accurate information necessary.

to make discretionary economic decisions.
I contacted Professor Guan for advice on best practices when running a pump and dump scheme,
or any other sort of securities fraud. Normally I would worry about putting my plans in writing or
discussing them openly here on YouTube – but In this new world where pump and dump schemes are
totally legal as long as you don’t think about the victims, I figured it should be fine, and
if the SEC wanted to press charges, the courts would likely be impressed by my advance written
statement that I’m indifferent to the effect of my schemes on any future potential victims.
Professor Guan seemed unwilling to provide any help in committing financial
crimes, I probably need to talk to a “Criminal Attorney” like Saul Goodman.
She did tell me that while the Texas ruling dismissed the indictment against the social media
influencers, it appears that the government will appeal the dismissal to the Fifth Circuit (and
in fact they filed a notice of appeal in April).

She says that with respect to the overall rule of law, this is a federal district court decision, and as such, it basically has no binding legal effect on other courts. She says that if the Fifth Circuit were to affirm the dismissal, that would bind future federal district courts within the Fifth Circuit. She went on to say that the judgment strikes her as being an outlier. The district court seems to have cast the allegations as falling under a right to control theory, a theory that the Supreme Court largely rejected in 2023 in Ciminelli v. The United States. Essentially, the district court said that the indictment alleged a scheme to defraud investors of information rather than money or property. In Ciminelli, the Supreme Court basically rejected the right to control theory, ruling that depriving someone of potentially valuable economic information necessary to make discretionary economic decisions” is not protected by the wire fraud statute because

that kind of information is not a traditional property interest like money or property. In her opinion, in doing so, the district court ignored both the economic reality of the stock market as well as the practical reality of a pump and dump scheme - where the point is certainly to obtain money. Thus, she says that she would be surprised if other courts accepted this theory or this reframing of securities pump and dump schemes. According to a law dot com article by Elisha Kobre, a Dallas-based lawyer, an appeal would almost certainly center on the fraudulent inducement theory of fraud that Ciminelli and Greenlaw managed to sidestep. In an appeal from a motion to dismiss, the original indictment’s factual allegations have to be deemed true— meaning that this alternative theory of fraud will be squarely presented and very likely decided, providing clarity to this important issue.

That probably means that I should hold off for a bit to launch my crypto coin, or discord chat where I give “not financial advice.” [clip]. For now, I’ll just post pictures of cars on Instagram, as the steps are: post photos of cars, accumulate penny stocks, pump the penny stocks, and then dump. I’ll check with Professor Guan if she thinks I should do one of those influencer coin scams instead – I’ll let you know what she says, as reading through the original case against “The Goblin Gang” they seemed to spend a lot of time discussing how they should cover their tracks, and finesse their pump and dump scheme, an influencer crypto rug pull seems so much easier – you just publicly rip people off – avoid caring about them – to keep it legal – openly admit that you did it, spend the money on an iced out watch and move on. If you missed my original video on the finfluencer

pump and dump case, back when I thought it was illegal. You can watch it here. Don’t forget to check out our sponsor NordPass using the link in the description. See you in the next video. Bye.

Pump And Dump Schemes Are Now Legal!

Patrick Boyle is a hedge fund manager, a university professor and a former investment banker. 

This channel is all about quantitative finance. By subscribing you will see videos explaining what is happening in markets right now, you will learn about financial derivatives, corporate finance and how traders use quantitative tools like statistics. You will see interviews with some of the most interesting people in the financial industry.  In addition, you will see some longer form documentaries on the history of financial markets.

To contact Patrick go to the website http://onfinance.org

DISCLAIMER:
This channel is not affiliated with any financial institution. The videos on this channel are for entertainment purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. Those seeking investment advice should seek out a registered professional. Patrick is not responsible for investment actions taken by viewers and his content should not be used as a basis for investment.

Patrick Boyle

The Case of the US Social Media Influencers' Pump and Dump Scheme

Eight US social media influencers were charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud for a "pump and dump" scheme, allegedly making $114 million in profit.

The influencers used their social media presence to hype interest in penny stocks with false information, but all charges against them were recently dismissed by a Texas court.

This ruling has raised concerns about the legality of pump and dump schemes and their potential impact on investors.

The Impact of the Court's Dismissal on a Securities Fraud Case

The court's dismissal raises legal questions about what the government needs to prove in a securities fraud case.

The judge's decision was based on the idea that the defendants did not obtain something of value from those who were deceived, as the investors' trading losses were too far removed from the alleged fraudulent misrepresentation.

The dismissal has significant implications for how "scheme to defraud" cases are prosecuted under federal fraud statutes.

Recent cases have interpreted federal fraud statutes, stating that as long as the defendants are indifferent to the effects of their scheme on victims, it is considered legal.

The interpretation of the securities fraud charge in this case is based on a 2023 Supreme Court decision and a case involving a "ponzi like" scheme.

The interpretation could potentially immunize almost all fraud carried out using social media and could prevent investors from recovering losses due to a fraudster's misinformation.

The Impact of Stock Prices on Information Transmission

Stock prices play a crucial role in efficiently allocating capital across the economy.

Securities laws focus on regulating information through disclosure requirements and antifraud measures.

The "Fraud on the Market Theory" recognizes the market's role in transmitting information to investors and allows for the presumption of investor reliance on public stock prices for legal purposes.

The Impact of Fraudster Tactics on Financial Markets

Market integrity relies on accurate information, but current legal doctrine doesn't require a direct connection between fraudsters and victims.

The recent Finfluencer case raised questions about the lack of protection for investors deprived of accurate information.

Despite the Texas ruling, the government's appeal and the potential impact on future court decisions show the ongoing uncertainty surrounding these issues.

The Controversy Over Pump and Dump Schemes in the Stock Market

The district court's dismissal of a pump and dump scheme as not constituting a traditional property interest has been criticized.

An appeal is expected to focus on the fraudulent inducement theory, bringing clarity to this important issue and potentially impacting the launch of new ventures like a crypto coin or influencer scams.

The discussion around covering tracks and finesse in the original case has led to consideration of the seemingly easier approach of an influencer crypto rug pull.