2007-12-11 sec-litreleases litigation_release 69 KB 4,969 chars

SEC v. Robert E. Lane; Wealth Pools International, Inc.; and Recruit for Wealth, Inc., No. LR-20393, Middle District of Florida (Dec. 11, 2007) — Press Release

raw: Robert E. Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., and Recruit for Wealth, Inc., Defendants, and T-N-T Education Company, Inc., Richard H. Lane, Mundo Trade, Inc., Renee Becker, Julia Lane, and First Fiduciary Business Trust, Relief Defendants

Robert E. Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., and Recruit for Wealth, Inc., Defendants, and T-N-T Education Company, Inc., Richard H. Lane, Mundo Trade, Inc., Renee Becker, Julia Lane, and First Fiduciary Business Trust, Relief Defendants, No. 6:07-cv-1920-Orl (Dec. 11, 2007)

Caption
SEC v. Robert E. Lane, et al.
summary

Robert E. Lane and his companies, Wealth Pools International and Recruit for Wealth, defrauded approximately 70,000 victims globally—primarily in Hispanic communities—by selling unregistered securities disguised as DVD tutorials, promising lifetime passive income through recruitment, and raising over $132 million in 2007 before being halted by an SEC asset freeze in December 2007.

paragraph

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Robert E. Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., and Recruit for Wealth, Inc. with operating a global pyramid scheme that raised over $132 million in 2007 from roughly 70,000 victims, mostly in Florida and Puerto Rico. The defendants falsely marketed 'Associate' memberships as investments in English and Spanish language DVD tutorials, but profits came solely from recruiting new investors, not actual product sales, while concealing that the scheme was unsustainable and that Lane had previously run a failed, court-enjoined business using the same model. The SEC alleged violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, and securities registration laws, leading to an emergency asset freeze and receiver appointment on December 6, 2007.

narrative

Robert E. Lane and his companies, Wealth Pools International, Inc. and Recruit for Wealth, Inc., operated a global pyramid scheme that preyed on Hispanic communities in Orlando, Florida, and Puerto Rico by falsely marketing 'Associate' memberships as investments in English and Spanish language DVD tutorials called Talk-N-Tutor. In reality, the scheme sold unregistered securities, with returns generated not from DVD sales to consumers but from the recruitment of new investors, creating a classic pyramid structure dependent on an ever-growing influx of participants. The defendants raised over $132 million in 2007 alone, targeting approximately 70,000 victims across 64 countries, while falsely claiming that 97% of Associates earned lifetime passive income and concealing the dilutive effect of new recruits on existing investors' returns. The SEC also alleged that Lane failed to disclose his prior history as president of a similar company that had gone bankrupt and been enjoined by the State of Florida. On December 6, 2007, a federal court granted the SEC’s request for an emergency asset freeze, appointing Denise Dell-Powell as receiver to safeguard assets held by Wealth Pools, Recruit for Wealth, and related relief defendants—including Lane’s family members and entities like T-N-T Education and First Fiduciary Business Trust. The court ordered preservation of records, expedited discovery, and a sworn accounting, while the SEC sought disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties for violations of Sections 17(a) and 5 of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
unregistered-securities (100%)
Court
Middle District of Florida
Case No.
6:07-cv-1920-Orl
Entity
Wealth Pools International, Inc.
Classified unregistered-securities(confidence 100%). EDGAR detection: forms Form D/S-1· recall 41% / precision 30%. detection rule →
Parties
Securities and Exchange CommissionRobert E. LaneWealth Pools International, Inc.Recruit for Wealth, Inc.
Keywords
incwealthwealth poolslanepools internationalrecruit wealthpoolssecrobert lanesecuritiesinvestorsrecruitrelieflane wealtht-n-t education

Exhibits & Attached Documents (1)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 1
  • $132.00M $132 million $100M–$1B
Entities 6
  • court action in the united states district court for the middle district of florida
  • company defendants do not disclose that lane was president of another company
  • person honorable john antoon ii
  • company robert lane, wealth pools international, inc., and recruit for wealth, inc.
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
  • company wealth pools purports to be a multi-level marketing company
Triples 15
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Announced Asset Freeze And Other Emergency Relief
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Won Asset Freeze And Other Emergency Relief
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Charged Robert Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., And Recruit For Wealth, Inc.
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Wealth Pools Purports To Be A Multi-Level Marketing Company
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Dvd Is A Front For Wealth Pools's True Product
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Investors Do Not Profit From The Sale Of Dvds To Consumers
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Defendants Lured Investors Through Opportunity Meetings
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Defendants Failed To Disclose Wealth Pools Is A Pyramid Scheme
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Defendants Do Not Disclose Dilutive Effect Of New Investors
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Defendants Do Not Disclose That Lane Was President Of Another Company
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Filed Action In The United States District Court For The Middle District Of Florida
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Defendants Violated Antifraud Provisions Of Section 17(A) Of The Securities Act Of 1933
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Defendants Violated Section 10(B) Of The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934 And Rule 10B-5 Thereunder
  • Securities and Exchange Commission Alleges Defendants Violated Securities Registration Provisions Of Sections 5(A) And 5(C) Of The Securities Act Of 1933
  • Honorable John Antoon Ii Entered Emergency Order Temporarily Restraining The Defendants And Freezing The Assets Of Wealth Pools International
PDF (from attached: complaint)
Text layers
Extracted body text (4,969c)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 20393 / December 11, 2007 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert E. Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., and Recruit for Wealth, Inc., Defendants, and T-N-T Education Company, Inc., Richard H. Lane, Mundo Trade, Inc., Renee Becker, Julia Lane, and First Fiduciary Business Trust, Relief Defendants, Civil Action No. 6:07-cv-1920-Orl-22KRS (M.D. Fla., filed Dec. 5, 2007) SEC Halts Fraudulent Global Pyramid Scheme Preying On Hispanic Community The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on December 6, 2007, it won an asset freeze and other emergency relief to halt a massive pyramid scheme with as many as 70,000 victims in 64 countries. The scheme involving the purported sale of English and Spanish language tutorials particularly preyed on Hispanic communities in Orlando, Fla., and Puerto Rico. The SEC charged Robert Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., and Recruit For Wealth, Inc. with the fraudulent offer and sale of unregistered securities in the form of "Associate" memberships in an enterprise called Wealth Pools. The fraudulent offering began in 2005 and the defendants claim to have raised over $132 million in 2007 alone, according to the SEC's complaint. Wealth Pools purports to be a multi-level marketing company primarily selling an English and Spanish language tutorial DVD called Talk-N-Tutor through a network of sales Associates around the world, the SEC alleges in its complaint. The DVD is, in reality, a front for Wealth Pools's true product - an investment in one or more "pools" that offer investors an opportunity to receive passive income through the efforts of others to recruit new investors, according to the complaint. The SEC further alleges that investors do not profit from the sale of DVDs to consumers, but from the recruitment of new investors termed "Associates." The SEC's complaint also charges the defendants with luring investors through "Opportunity Meetings" held at Wealth Pools's Orlando, Fla., headquarters, in Puerto Rico, and live on the internet. The defendants enticed investors to purchase thousands of DVDs by falsely promising them that they would earn income for life with no further effort, according to the SEC's complaint. The SEC further charged the defendants with failing to disclose, among other things, that Wealth Pools is a pyramid scheme utterly dependent on an ever increasing number of new investors to pay existing ones, and is destined to collapse, leaving investors with substantial losses. Additionally, the SEC alleges that the defendants do not disclose the dilutive effect of new investors on all investors' returns, which renders baseless the defendants representations that 97% of Associates make money and receive a lifetime of passive income. Finally, the complaint alleges that the defendants do not disclose that Lane was president of another company that used similar methods that failed, resulting in it declaring bankruptcy and being enjoined by the State of Florida. The SEC filed its action in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida seeking a temporary restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. The complaint alleges that the defendants violated the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and the securities registration provisions of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933. The SEC also named as relief defendants members of Robert Lane's family and other related entities who received investor proceeds raised in the fraudulent and unregistered offering. On December 6, 2007, the Honorable John Antoon II, United States District Judge entered, ex parte, an emergency order temporarily restraining the defendants and freezing the assets of Wealth Pools International, Inc., Recruit For Wealth, Inc., Robert Lane, and relief defendants Julia Lane, Richard Lane, Renee Becker, T-N-T Education, Inc., Mundo Trade, Inc., and First Fiduciary Business Trust. The order also provides for expedited discovery, a sworn accounting and the preservation of records. The Court also appointed Denise Dell-Powell, an attorney in the law firm of Akerman Senterfitt of Orlando, Fla. as a receiver over Wealth Pools International, Inc. and Recruit For Wealth, Inc. Among other things, the receiver is responsible for marshaling and safeguarding assets held by these entities. A show cause hearing has been set for December 13, 2007, in Orlando, Fla., to determine whether the emergency asset freeze and other relief should remain in effect. The Commission acknowledges the assistance of the Office of the Commission of Financial Institutions for the Republic of Puerto Rico and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. SEC Complaint in this matter
OCR text (4,969c · html-text · 99% conf)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 20393 / December 11, 2007 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert E. Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., and Recruit for Wealth, Inc., Defendants, and T-N-T Education Company, Inc., Richard H. Lane, Mundo Trade, Inc., Renee Becker, Julia Lane, and First Fiduciary Business Trust, Relief Defendants, Civil Action No. 6:07-cv-1920-Orl-22KRS (M.D. Fla., filed Dec. 5, 2007) SEC Halts Fraudulent Global Pyramid Scheme Preying On Hispanic Community The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on December 6, 2007, it won an asset freeze and other emergency relief to halt a massive pyramid scheme with as many as 70,000 victims in 64 countries. The scheme involving the purported sale of English and Spanish language tutorials particularly preyed on Hispanic communities in Orlando, Fla., and Puerto Rico. The SEC charged Robert Lane, Wealth Pools International, Inc., and Recruit For Wealth, Inc. with the fraudulent offer and sale of unregistered securities in the form of "Associate" memberships in an enterprise called Wealth Pools. The fraudulent offering began in 2005 and the defendants claim to have raised over $132 million in 2007 alone, according to the SEC's complaint. Wealth Pools purports to be a multi-level marketing company primarily selling an English and Spanish language tutorial DVD called Talk-N-Tutor through a network of sales Associates around the world, the SEC alleges in its complaint. The DVD is, in reality, a front for Wealth Pools's true product - an investment in one or more "pools" that offer investors an opportunity to receive passive income through the efforts of others to recruit new investors, according to the complaint. The SEC further alleges that investors do not profit from the sale of DVDs to consumers, but from the recruitment of new investors termed "Associates." The SEC's complaint also charges the defendants with luring investors through "Opportunity Meetings" held at Wealth Pools's Orlando, Fla., headquarters, in Puerto Rico, and live on the internet. The defendants enticed investors to purchase thousands of DVDs by falsely promising them that they would earn income for life with no further effort, according to the SEC's complaint. The SEC further charged the defendants with failing to disclose, among other things, that Wealth Pools is a pyramid scheme utterly dependent on an ever increasing number of new investors to pay existing ones, and is destined to collapse, leaving investors with substantial losses. Additionally, the SEC alleges that the defendants do not disclose the dilutive effect of new investors on all investors' returns, which renders baseless the defendants representations that 97% of Associates make money and receive a lifetime of passive income. Finally, the complaint alleges that the defendants do not disclose that Lane was president of another company that used similar methods that failed, resulting in it declaring bankruptcy and being enjoined by the State of Florida. The SEC filed its action in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida seeking a temporary restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. The complaint alleges that the defendants violated the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and the securities registration provisions of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933. The SEC also named as relief defendants members of Robert Lane's family and other related entities who received investor proceeds raised in the fraudulent and unregistered offering. On December 6, 2007, the Honorable John Antoon II, United States District Judge entered, ex parte, an emergency order temporarily restraining the defendants and freezing the assets of Wealth Pools International, Inc., Recruit For Wealth, Inc., Robert Lane, and relief defendants Julia Lane, Richard Lane, Renee Becker, T-N-T Education, Inc., Mundo Trade, Inc., and First Fiduciary Business Trust. The order also provides for expedited discovery, a sworn accounting and the preservation of records. The Court also appointed Denise Dell-Powell, an attorney in the law firm of Akerman Senterfitt of Orlando, Fla. as a receiver over Wealth Pools International, Inc. and Recruit For Wealth, Inc. Among other things, the receiver is responsible for marshaling and safeguarding assets held by these entities. A show cause hearing has been set for December 13, 2007, in Orlando, Fla., to determine whether the emergency asset freeze and other relief should remain in effect. The Commission acknowledges the assistance of the Office of the Commission of Financial Institutions for the Republic of Puerto Rico and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. SEC Complaint in this matter