(HedgeCo.Net) The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has entered a final consent judgment against Florida resident Lev Parnas for his role in participating in an offering fraud that raised millions of dollars from investors.

According to the SEC’s complaint, from 2013 through mid-2019, Parnas, along with another individual, David Correia, raised over $2 million from investors through investments in their entity, Fraud Guarantee. According to the complaint, Parnas and Correia told potential investors that their funds would be used to develop products that would help customers recoup losses resulting from investment or consumer fraud. The complaint further alleged that contrary to Parnas’s and Correia’s representations, the funds were instead largely used for personal expenses including travel, jewelry, cars, and disbursements at a casino.  As alleged, Parnas and Correia also falsely told potential investors that they had raised millions of dollars from other investors and that they had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own money into Fraud Guarantee.

On May 6, 2022, the Court entered a partial judgment against Parnas by consent, permanently enjoining him from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 15(a) and 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. On May 9, 2022 the Commission imposed an associational and penny stock bar on Parnas. Previously, in April 2021, the Commission settled its case with Correia.

The final judgment orders disgorgement of $1,400,746, representing Parnas’ ill-gotten gains, and prejudgment interest of $378,844.76, and that disgorgement shall be deemed satisfied by the restitution order entered against Parnas in the parallel criminal proceeding, United States v. Parnas, et al., 19 Cr. 725 (JPO). In that proceeding, Parnas pleaded guilty and has been sentenced and ordered to pay restitution and forfeit assets.