2024-06-12 sec-litreleases litigation_release 67 KB 3,337 chars

SEC v. Zhou Min Ni; and Jian Ming "Jonathan" Ni, CPA, No. LR-26023, District of Columbia (June 12, 2024) — Press Release

raw: Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming "Jonathan" Ni, CPA

Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming "Jonathan" Ni, CPA, No. 1:24-cv-01632 (D.D.C. June 12, 2024)

Caption
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION v. NI
summary

Former HF Foods Group executives Zhou Min Ni and Jonathan Ni settled SEC charges for a scheme to hide liabilities, misappropriate funds, and mislead auditors.

paragraph

The SEC obtained final judgments against Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming “Jonathan” Ni for violating the Securities Act of 1933 and the Exchange Act of 1934. Zhou Min Ni agreed to a $300,000 civil penalty and a permanent bar from serving as a public company officer or director. Jonathan Ni consented to an $80,000 civil penalty and a ten-year bar from serving as a public company officer or director.

narrative

The SEC obtained final judgments against former HF Foods Group executives Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming “Jonathan” Ni to settle charges involving a fraudulent scheme to hide millions in liabilities, misappropriate investor funds, and mislead auditors. Zhou Min Ni faced charges including violations of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. His settlement includes a permanent injunction, a $300,000 civil penalty, and a permanent bar from serving as an officer or director of a public company. His disgorgement and interest obligations, totaling approximately $6.47 million, were deemed satisfied by a prior $9.25 million payment in a related shareholder derivative lawsuit. Jonathan Ni agreed to a settlement featuring a permanent injunction, an $80,000 civil penalty, and a ten-year bar from serving as a public company officer or director. Both defendants entered their settlements without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
corporate-fraud (95%)
Court
District of Columbia
Case No.
1:24-cv-01632
Outcome
settled
Settlement
$300,000
Disgorgement
$5,102,883
Entity
Zhou Min Ni
Ticker
HFFG
CIK
0001680873
Classified corporate-fraud(confidence 95%). EDGAR detection: forms 10-K/10-Q/8-K· recall 56% / precision 8%. detection rule →
Statutes
Section 17(a) of the Securities ActSections 10(b) and 14(a) of the Securities Exchange ActSections 10(b) and 14(a) of the Securities Exchange ActSection 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities ActSection 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities ActRule 14a-9
Parties
Securities and Exchange CommissionJian Ming "Jonathan" Ni, CPAZhou Min NiJian Ming Ni
Keywords
zhouminexchangejian mingming jonathansecurities exchangefoods groupjonathansecuritiesexchange rulesrules thereunderaiding abettingsec'sfoodsthereunder

Exhibits & Attached Documents (2)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 6
  • $9.25M $9.25 million $1M–$10M
  • $5.10M $5,102,883 $1M–$10M
  • $1.37M $1,368,361 $1M–$10M
  • $963K $963,042 $100K–$1M
  • $300K $300,000 $100K–$1M
  • $80K $80,000 $10K–$100K
Entities 4
  • person jonathan ni
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
  • person zhou min ni
  • company zhou min ni and jian ming jonathan ni, former executives of hf foods group inc.
Triples 7
  • Securities And Exchange Commission obtained final judgments against Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming Jonathan Ni, former executives of HF Foods Group Inc.
  • Securities And Exchange Commission charged Zhou Min Ni with violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 10(b) and 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Rules 10b-5, 13a-14, 13a-15(b), 13a-15(c), 13b2-2, and 14a-9, Section 304(a) of SOX, and aiding and abetting violations by HF Foods Group Inc. and Atlantic Acquisition Corp.
  • Securities And Exchange Commission charged Jonathan Ni with violating Section 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Rules 10b-5, 13a-14, 13a-15(b), 13a-15(c), and 13b2-2, and aiding and abetting violations by HF Foods Group Inc. and Atlantic Acquisition Corp.
  • Zhou Min Ni consented to a settlement including a permanent injunction, conduct-based injunction, disgorgement of $5,102,883.27, prejudgment interest of $1,368,361.52, reimbursement of $963,042 to HF Foods Group Inc., $300,000 civil penalty, and permanent bar from serving as officer or director of a public company.
  • Jonathan Ni consented to a settlement including a permanent injunction, $80,000 civil penalty, and ten-year bar from serving as officer or director of a public company.
  • Zhou Min Ni reimbursed HF Foods Group Inc. $963,042 pursuant to Section 304(a) of SOX.
  • Securities And Exchange Commission conducted investigation by Brian S. Kang and Jeffrey R. Anderson, with assistance from Howard Kaplan, John B. Timmer, James Connor, and Melissa Armstrong, under supervision of Kevin Guerrero, Peter Rosario, Stacy L. Bogert, and Mark Cave.
PDF (from attached: judgment)
Text layers
Extracted body text (3,337c)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26023 / June 12, 2024 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming “Jonathan” Ni, CPA, No. 1:24-cv-01632 (D.D.C. filed June 3, 2024) SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Former Executives of HF Foods Group On June 10, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained final judgments against Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming (Jonathan) Ni, former executives of Nevada-based restaurant food distribution company HF Foods Group, Inc., who agreed to settle SEC charges for their roles in a fraudulent scheme to hide millions of dollars of HF Foods's liabilities, misappropriate investor funds, and mislead the company's auditors. The SEC's complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, charged Zhou Min Ni with violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 10(b) and 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 10b-5, 13a-14, 13a-15(b), 13a-15(c), 13b2-2, and 14a-9 thereunder, and Section 304(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("SOX"); with aiding and abetting the violations by HF Foods Group Inc. of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act, and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, 13a-13, and 13a-15(a) thereunder; and with aiding and abetting the violations by Atlantic Acquisition Corp. of Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14a-9 thereunder. The SEC's complaint charged Jonathan Ni with violating Section 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 10b-5, 13a-14, 13a-15(b), 13a-15(c), and 13b2-2 thereunder; with aiding and abetting the violations by HF Foods Group Inc. of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act, and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, and 13a-13 thereunder; and with aiding and abetting the violations by Atlantic Acquisition Corp. of Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14a-9 thereunder. Without admitting or denying the allegations of the SEC's complaint, Zhou Min Ni consented to a settlement of the SEC's action that includes a permanent injunction; a conduct-based injunction which enjoins him from directly or indirectly participating in the management of, or otherwise exercising any control or influence over, HF Foods; disgorgement of $5,102,883.27 and prejudgment interest of $1,368,361.52; requires Zhou Min Nito reimburse $963,042 to HF Foods Group Inc. pursuant to Section 304(a) of SOX, all of which is deemed satisfied by Zhou Min Ni's prior payment of $9.25 million in the settlement of a related shareholder derivative lawsuit; a $300,000 civil penalty; and a permanent bar from serving as an officer and director of a public company. Without admitting or denying the allegations of the SEC's complaint, Jonathan Ni consented to a settlement of the SEC's action that includes a permanent injunction, an $80,000 civil penalty, and a ten-year bar from serving as an officer or director of a public company. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Brian S. Kang and Jeffrey R. Anderson, with assistance from Howard Kaplan, John B. Timmer, James Connor, and Melissa Armstrong, under the supervision of Kevin Guerrero, Peter Rosario, Stacy L. Bogert, and Mark Cave. Final Judgment - Jian Ming "Jonathan" Ni, CPA Final Judgment - Zhou Min Ni
OCR text (3,337c · html-text · 99% conf)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26023 / June 12, 2024 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming “Jonathan” Ni, CPA, No. 1:24-cv-01632 (D.D.C. filed June 3, 2024) SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Former Executives of HF Foods Group On June 10, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained final judgments against Zhou Min Ni and Jian Ming (Jonathan) Ni, former executives of Nevada-based restaurant food distribution company HF Foods Group, Inc., who agreed to settle SEC charges for their roles in a fraudulent scheme to hide millions of dollars of HF Foods's liabilities, misappropriate investor funds, and mislead the company's auditors. The SEC's complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, charged Zhou Min Ni with violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 10(b) and 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 10b-5, 13a-14, 13a-15(b), 13a-15(c), 13b2-2, and 14a-9 thereunder, and Section 304(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("SOX"); with aiding and abetting the violations by HF Foods Group Inc. of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act, and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, 13a-13, and 13a-15(a) thereunder; and with aiding and abetting the violations by Atlantic Acquisition Corp. of Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14a-9 thereunder. The SEC's complaint charged Jonathan Ni with violating Section 17(a)(1) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 10b-5, 13a-14, 13a-15(b), 13a-15(c), and 13b2-2 thereunder; with aiding and abetting the violations by HF Foods Group Inc. of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act, and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, and 13a-13 thereunder; and with aiding and abetting the violations by Atlantic Acquisition Corp. of Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14a-9 thereunder. Without admitting or denying the allegations of the SEC's complaint, Zhou Min Ni consented to a settlement of the SEC's action that includes a permanent injunction; a conduct-based injunction which enjoins him from directly or indirectly participating in the management of, or otherwise exercising any control or influence over, HF Foods; disgorgement of $5,102,883.27 and prejudgment interest of $1,368,361.52; requires Zhou Min Nito reimburse $963,042 to HF Foods Group Inc. pursuant to Section 304(a) of SOX, all of which is deemed satisfied by Zhou Min Ni's prior payment of $9.25 million in the settlement of a related shareholder derivative lawsuit; a $300,000 civil penalty; and a permanent bar from serving as an officer and director of a public company. Without admitting or denying the allegations of the SEC's complaint, Jonathan Ni consented to a settlement of the SEC's action that includes a permanent injunction, an $80,000 civil penalty, and a ten-year bar from serving as an officer or director of a public company. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Brian S. Kang and Jeffrey R. Anderson, with assistance from Howard Kaplan, John B. Timmer, James Connor, and Melissa Armstrong, under the supervision of Kevin Guerrero, Peter Rosario, Stacy L. Bogert, and Mark Cave. Final Judgment - Jian Ming "Jonathan" Ni, CPA Final Judgment - Zhou Min Ni