2024-02-27 sec-litreleases litigation_release 67 KB 3,526 chars

SEC v. Harmel S. Rayat; RenovaCare, Inc.; and Jatinder Bhogal, No. LR-25945, Southern District of New York (Feb. 27, 2024) — Press Release

raw: Harmel S. Rayat, RenovaCare, Inc., Jatinder Bhogal

Harmel S. Rayat, RenovaCare, Inc., Jatinder Bhogal, No. 1:21-cv-04777 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 27, 2024)

Caption
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Rayat
summary

The SEC secured final judgments against Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc. for a microcap 'pump and dump' scheme involving false statements and manipulative trading.

paragraph

The defendants were charged with securities fraud related to the promotion of the 'SkinGun' medical device through false statements and undisclosed share sales. Harmel S. Rayat was ordered to pay over $2.7 million in disgorgement, interest, and penalties, while Jatinder Bhogal and his entity faced combined liabilities exceeding $1.9 million. RenovaCare, Inc. was also ordered to pay a $500,000 civil penalty.

narrative

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has concluded its litigation against Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc. regarding a fraudulent 'pump and dump' scheme. The defendants allegedly used materially false statements and manipulative trading to promote RenovaCare's 'SkinGun' medical device while conducting undisclosed sales of shares. Without admitting or denying the allegations, the defendants consented to final judgments that include permanent injunctions against future securities violations. Rayat was ordered to pay $1,270,352 in disgorgement, $207,656 in prejudgment interest, and a $1,270,352 civil penalty, alongside an officer and director bar. Bhogal and 1420527 Alberta Ltd. were held jointly and severally liable for $1,136,182 in disgorgement and $194,562 in interest, with Bhogal also facing a $669,687 penalty. Additionally, RenovaCare was ordered to pay a $500,000 civil penalty to resolve the charges.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
pump-and-dump (100%)
Court
Southern District of New York
Case No.
1:21-cv-04777
Outcome
settled
Disgorgement
$1,270,352
Civil penalty
$1,270,352
Entity
RenovaCare, Inc.
CIK
0001016708
Classified pump-and-dump(confidence 100%). EDGAR detection: forms S-8/S-1/424B/8-K· recall 69% / precision 12%. detection rule →
Statutes
Section 17(a) of the Securities ActSections 10(b) and 20(b) of the Securities Exchange ActSections 10(b) and 20(b) of the Securities Exchange ActRule 10b-5
Parties
Securities and Exchange CommissionHarmel S. RayatRenovaCare Inc.Jeetenderjit Singh Sidhu1420527 Alberta Ltd.Treadstone Financial Group Ltd.Blackbriar Asset Management Ltd.Sharon FlemingTreadstone Financial Group LLCJatinder Bhogal
Keywords
bhogalrayatharmel rayatrenovacarefinaljatinder bhogalsecurities exchangefinal judgmentssecuritiesharmelbhogal renovacareagainstincjatinderexchange

Exhibits & Attached Documents (3)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 6
  • $1.27M $1,270,352 $1M–$10M
  • $1.14M $1,136,182 $1M–$10M
  • $670K $669,687 $100K–$1M
  • $500K $500,000 $100K–$1M
  • $208K $207,656 $100K–$1M
  • $195K $194,562 $100K–$1M
Entities 6
  • person final judgment
  • company final judgments against harmel s. rayat, jatinder bhogal, and renovacare, inc.
  • company harmel s. rayat from acting as an officer or director of a public company
  • scheme_term harmel s. rayat, jatinder bhogal, and renovacare, inc. with securities fraud
  • person judge lewis j. liman
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
Triples 17
  • Securities And Exchange Commission charges Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc. with securities fraud
  • Securities And Exchange Commission alleges the defendants conducted a fraudulent pump and dump scheme that included materially false statements to investors, undisclosed sales of shares while promoting the stock, and manipulative trading
  • Securities And Exchange Commission names 1420527 Alberta Ltd. as a relief defendant owned and controlled by Jatinder Bhogal
  • Judge Lewis J. Liman entered final judgments against Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc.
  • Final Judgment enjoins Harmel S. Rayat from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 10(b) and 20(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  • Final Judgment prohibits Harmel S. Rayat from acting as an officer or director of a public company
  • Final Judgment bars Harmel S. Rayat from participating in the offering of any penny stock
  • Final Judgment orders Harmel S. Rayat to pay disgorgement of $1,270,352, prejudgment interest of $207,656, and a civil penalty of $1,270,352
  • Final Judgment enjoins Jatinder Bhogal from violating Securities Act Section 17(a) and Exchange Act Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b), and Rule 10b-5 thereunder
  • Final Judgment prohibits Jatinder Bhogal from acting as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years
  • Final Judgment bars Jatinder Bhogal from participating in the offering of any penny stock
  • Final Judgment orders Jatinder Bhogal and 1420527 Alberta Ltd. to pay, jointly and severally, disgorgement of $1,136,182 and prejudgment interest of $194,562
  • Final Judgment orders Jatinder Bhogal to pay a civil penalty of $669,687
  • Final Judgment enjoins RenovaCare, Inc. from violating Securities Act Section 17(a) and Exchange Act Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Section 15(d) and Rules 12b-20 and 15d-11
  • Final Judgment orders RenovaCare, Inc. to pay a civil penalty of $500,000
  • Securities And Exchange Commission conducted investigation by Darren E. Long, with assistance from Brian Shute and Jessica Regan, supervised by Brian O. Quinn and Carolyn M. Welshhans
  • Securities And Exchange Commission led litigation by Matthew Scarlato and John J. Bowers, supervised by James Carlson
PDF (from attached: judgment)
Text layers
Extracted body text (3,526c)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25945 / February 27, 2024 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Harmel S. Rayat, RenovaCare, Inc., Jatinder Bhogal, Jeetenderjit Singh Sidhu, and Sharon Fleming, No. 1:21-cv-04777 (S.D.N.Y.) Final Judgments Entered Against Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc. in Microcap Fraud Case On February 27, 2024, the Honorable Lewis J. Liman entered final judgments against defendants Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc., along with relief defendant 1420527 Alberta Ltd., in SEC v. Harmel S. Rayat, et al., No. 1:21‑cv‑04771, a case in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The SEC’s amended complaint, filed on August 30, 2022, charges Rayat, a Canadian citizen and controlling shareholder of RenovaCare, Bhogal, a Canadian citizen and former advisor and chief operating officer of RenovaCare, and RenovaCare, a Nevada corporation purportedly developing a medical device called the “SkinGun,” with securities fraud. The amended complaint alleges the defendants conducted a fraudulent “pump and dump” scheme that included materially false statements to investors, undisclosed sales of shares while promoting the stock, and manipulative trading. The amended complaint also charges other associates of Rayat and Bhogal, and names several relief defendants, including 1420527 Alberta Ltd., an entity Bhogal owns and controls. Rayat, Bhogal, and RenovaCare consented to the final judgments without admitting or denying the allegations. The final judgment against Rayat permanently enjoins him from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) and Sections 10(b) and 20(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; prohibits Rayat from acting as an officer or director of a public company; bars Rayat from participating in the offering of any penny stock; and orders Rayat to pay disgorgement of $1,270,352, prejudgment interest of $207,656, and a civil penalty of $1,270,352. The final judgment against Bhogal permanently enjoins him from violating Securities Act Section 17(a) and Exchange Act Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b), and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; prohibits Bhogal from acting as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years; bars Bhogal from participating in the offering of any penny stock; orders Bhogal and 1420527 Alberta Ltd. to pay, jointly and severally, disgorgement of $1,136,182 and prejudgment interest of $194,562; and orders Bhogal to pay a civil penalty of $669,687. The final judgment against RenovaCare permanently enjoins the company from violating Securities Act Section 17(a) and Exchange Act Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Section 15(d) and Rules 12b-20 and 15d-11; and orders the company to pay a civil penalty of $500,000. The court previously entered final judgments against Sharon Fleming (also known as Sharon Hebgin) and Jeetenderjit “Jeet” Singh Sidhu. These final judgments against Rayat, Bhogal, and RenovaCare conclude the litigation. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Darren E. Long, with the assistance of Brian Shute and Jessica Regan, and supervised by Brian O. Quinn and Carolyn M. Welshhans. The litigation was led by Matthew Scarlato and John J. Bowers and supervised by James Carlson. For further information, see Litigation Release Nos. 25102, 25487, and 25883. Final Judgment – Harmel S. Rayat Final Judgment – Jatinder Bhogal Final Judgment – RenovaCare, Inc.
OCR text (3,526c · html-text · 99% conf)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25945 / February 27, 2024 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Harmel S. Rayat, RenovaCare, Inc., Jatinder Bhogal, Jeetenderjit Singh Sidhu, and Sharon Fleming, No. 1:21-cv-04777 (S.D.N.Y.) Final Judgments Entered Against Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc. in Microcap Fraud Case On February 27, 2024, the Honorable Lewis J. Liman entered final judgments against defendants Harmel S. Rayat, Jatinder Bhogal, and RenovaCare, Inc., along with relief defendant 1420527 Alberta Ltd., in SEC v. Harmel S. Rayat, et al., No. 1:21‑cv‑04771, a case in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The SEC’s amended complaint, filed on August 30, 2022, charges Rayat, a Canadian citizen and controlling shareholder of RenovaCare, Bhogal, a Canadian citizen and former advisor and chief operating officer of RenovaCare, and RenovaCare, a Nevada corporation purportedly developing a medical device called the “SkinGun,” with securities fraud. The amended complaint alleges the defendants conducted a fraudulent “pump and dump” scheme that included materially false statements to investors, undisclosed sales of shares while promoting the stock, and manipulative trading. The amended complaint also charges other associates of Rayat and Bhogal, and names several relief defendants, including 1420527 Alberta Ltd., an entity Bhogal owns and controls. Rayat, Bhogal, and RenovaCare consented to the final judgments without admitting or denying the allegations. The final judgment against Rayat permanently enjoins him from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) and Sections 10(b) and 20(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; prohibits Rayat from acting as an officer or director of a public company; bars Rayat from participating in the offering of any penny stock; and orders Rayat to pay disgorgement of $1,270,352, prejudgment interest of $207,656, and a civil penalty of $1,270,352. The final judgment against Bhogal permanently enjoins him from violating Securities Act Section 17(a) and Exchange Act Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b), and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; prohibits Bhogal from acting as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years; bars Bhogal from participating in the offering of any penny stock; orders Bhogal and 1420527 Alberta Ltd. to pay, jointly and severally, disgorgement of $1,136,182 and prejudgment interest of $194,562; and orders Bhogal to pay a civil penalty of $669,687. The final judgment against RenovaCare permanently enjoins the company from violating Securities Act Section 17(a) and Exchange Act Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Section 15(d) and Rules 12b-20 and 15d-11; and orders the company to pay a civil penalty of $500,000. The court previously entered final judgments against Sharon Fleming (also known as Sharon Hebgin) and Jeetenderjit “Jeet” Singh Sidhu. These final judgments against Rayat, Bhogal, and RenovaCare conclude the litigation. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Darren E. Long, with the assistance of Brian Shute and Jessica Regan, and supervised by Brian O. Quinn and Carolyn M. Welshhans. The litigation was led by Matthew Scarlato and John J. Bowers and supervised by James Carlson. For further information, see Litigation Release Nos. 25102, 25487, and 25883. Final Judgment – Harmel S. Rayat Final Judgment – Jatinder Bhogal Final Judgment – RenovaCare, Inc.