2023-11-22 sec-litreleases litigation_release 67 KB 2,815 chars

SEC v. Brian A. Beatty; and SAExploration Holdings, Inc., No. LR-25902, Southern District of New York (Nov. 22, 2023) — Press Release

raw: SAExploration Holdings, Inc., et al.

SAExploration Holdings, Inc., et al., No. LR-25902 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 22, 2023)

Caption
SEC v. Brian A. Beatty, et al.
summary

Former SAExploration Holdings executive Brian A. Beatty obtained a final judgment for his role in a $100 million accounting fraud involving sham contracts and misappropriated funds.

paragraph

Brian A. Beatty, former CEO and COO of SAExploration Holdings, Inc. (SAE), was ordered to pay $261,703 in disgorgement and interest plus $441,995 in SOX reimbursements. The SEC alleged Beatty helped inflate revenue by $100 million through sham contracts with an Alaska-based company controlled by co-defendants. Additionally, the executives misappropriated $12 million from SAE, routing half back to the company to mask the theft.

narrative

The SEC obtained a final judgment against former SAExploration Holdings, Inc. (SAE) executive Brian A. Beatty for his role in a multi-year, $100 million accounting fraud. Beatty and three other executives falsely inflated revenue by recording $100 million in contracts with an Alaska-based company that was actually controlled by co-defendants. The group also misappropriated $12 million from SAE, routing half of those funds back to the company to simulate legitimate payments. Without denying the allegations, Beatty consented to a permanent injunction against violating various federal securities laws and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. His financial penalties include $261,703 in disgorgement and interest, as well as a $441,995 reimbursement to SAE under Section 304(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A separate consent judgment against SAE had been entered in December 2020.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
accounting-fraud (100%)
Court
Southern District of New York
Outcome
settled
Disgorgement
$41,763
Victim loss
$140,000,000
Entity
SAExploration Holdings, Inc.
Ticker
SAEX
CIK
0001514732
Classified accounting-fraud(confidence 100%). EDGAR detection: forms 10-K/10-Q/8-K/NT 10-K· recall 80% / precision 48%. detection rule →
Statutes
Section 17(a) of the Securities ActSections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange ActSections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange ActSections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange ActSections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange ActSections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act
Parties
Securities and Exchange CommissionBrian A. BeattySAExploration Holdings, Inc.
Keywords
saesaexploration holdingsbeattysecfinalcompanysecurities exchangeseismic datasaexplorationholdingsincmillionsecuritiesagainstamended

Exhibits & Attached Documents (4)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 8
  • $140.00M $140 million $100M–$1B
  • $100.00M $100 Million $100M–$1B
  • $100.00M $100 million $100M–$1B
  • $12.00M $12 million $10M–$100M
  • $442K $441,995 $100K–$1M
  • $262K $261,703 $100K–$1M
  • $220K $219,940 $100K–$1M
  • $42K $41,763 $10K–$100K
Entities 3
  • person final judgment
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
  • court u.s. district court for the southern district of new york
Triples 12
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Obtains Final Judgment Against Former Executive For His Role In $100 Million Accounting Fraud
  • U.S. District Court For The Southern District Of New York Entered Final Judgment Against Brian a. Beatty For His Role In a Multi-Year Accounting Fraud
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Alleges That Beatty And Three Other Former Sae Executives Falsely Inflated The Revenue Of Sae By Approximately $100 Million
  • Beatty And His Co-Defendants Caused Sae To File Materially False And Misleading Public Statements After Sae Entered Into a Series Of Seismic Data Acquisition Contracts Totaling Approximately $140 Million
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Alleges That Sae Improperly Recorded Approximately $100 Million In Revenue In Light Of The Alaskan Company’s Inability To Pay And The Sae Executives’ Control Of The Company
  • Beatty And His Co-Defendants Misappropriated $12 Million From Sae And Routed Approximately Half Of Those Funds Back To Sae To Create The False Impression That The Related Alaskan Company Was Actually Paying Sae For Seismic Data
  • Co-Defendants Allegedly Kept The Remainder Of The Misappropriated Funds For Themselves
  • Brian a. Beatty Consented To The Entry Of a Final Judgment Permanently Enjoining Him From Violating Section 17(a) Of The Securities Act Of 1933; Sections 10(B), 13(a), 13(B)(2)(A), 13(B)(2)(B), And 13(B)(5) Of The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934; Rules 10B-5, 12B-20, 13A-1, 13A-11, 13A-13, 13B2-1, 13B2-2, And 13A-14 Thereunder; And Section 304(a) Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002
  • Final Judgment Orders Beatty To Pay $219,940 In Disgorgement Plus $41,763 In Prejudgment Interest, For a Total Of $261,703
  • Brian a. Beatty Was Also Ordered To Reimburse Sae $441,995 Pursuant To Section 304(a) Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002
  • U.S. District Court For The Southern District Of New York Entered a Final Consent Judgment Against Saexploration Holdings, Inc. On December 17, 2020
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Conducted Ongoing Litigation Against Other Defendants By Peter Lallas, Dean Conway, And Yael Berger, And Supervised By James Connor
PDF (from attached: complaint)
Text layers
Extracted body text (2,815c)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25902 / November 22, 2023 Accounting and Auditing Enforcement No. 4474 / November 22, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. SAExploration Holdings, Inc., et al., No. 20-CV-08423 (S.D.N.Y. filed Oct. 8, 2020) SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against Former Executive For His Role in $100 Million Accounting Fraud On November 15, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered the final judgment against Brian A. Beatty for his role in a multi-year accounting fraud that occurred while he was CEO and COO of Houston-based seismic data company SAExploration Holdings, Inc. (SAE). The SEC’s amended complaint alleges that Beatty and three other former SAE executives falsely inflated the revenue of SAE by approximately $100 million and concealed their theft of millions of dollars from the company. According to the SEC’s amended complaint, Beatty and his co-defendants caused SAE to file materially false and misleading public statements after SAE entered into a series of seismic data acquisition contracts totaling approximately $140 million with a purportedly unrelated Alaska-based company that was, in fact, controlled by two of his co-defendants. The amended complaint alleges that SAE improperly recorded approximately $100 million in revenue in light of the Alaskan company’s inability to pay and the SAE executives’ control of the company. As also alleged, Beatty and his co-defendants misappropriated $12 million from SAE and routed approximately half of those funds back to SAE to create the false impression that the related Alaskan company was actually paying SAE for seismic data. The co-defendants allegedly kept the remainder of the misappropriated funds for themselves. Without denying the SEC’s allegations, Beatty consented to the entry of a final judgment permanently enjoining him from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933; Sections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; Rules 10b-5, 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, 13a-13, 13b2-1, 13b2-2, and 13a-14 thereunder; and Section 304(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”). The final judgment also orders Beatty to pay $219,940 in disgorgement plus $41,763 in prejudgment interest, for a total of $261,703. Beatty was also ordered to reimburse SAE $441,995 pursuant to Section 304(a) of the SOX. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a final consent judgment against SAE on December 17, 2020. The SEC’s ongoing litigation against other defendants is being conducted by Peter Lallas, Dean Conway, and Yael Berger, and supervised by James Connor. SEC Complaint Amended SEC Complaint Final Judgment - Brian A. Beatty Final Judgment - SAExploration Holdings, Inc.
OCR text (2,815c · html-text · 99% conf)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25902 / November 22, 2023 Accounting and Auditing Enforcement No. 4474 / November 22, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. SAExploration Holdings, Inc., et al., No. 20-CV-08423 (S.D.N.Y. filed Oct. 8, 2020) SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against Former Executive For His Role in $100 Million Accounting Fraud On November 15, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered the final judgment against Brian A. Beatty for his role in a multi-year accounting fraud that occurred while he was CEO and COO of Houston-based seismic data company SAExploration Holdings, Inc. (SAE). The SEC’s amended complaint alleges that Beatty and three other former SAE executives falsely inflated the revenue of SAE by approximately $100 million and concealed their theft of millions of dollars from the company. According to the SEC’s amended complaint, Beatty and his co-defendants caused SAE to file materially false and misleading public statements after SAE entered into a series of seismic data acquisition contracts totaling approximately $140 million with a purportedly unrelated Alaska-based company that was, in fact, controlled by two of his co-defendants. The amended complaint alleges that SAE improperly recorded approximately $100 million in revenue in light of the Alaskan company’s inability to pay and the SAE executives’ control of the company. As also alleged, Beatty and his co-defendants misappropriated $12 million from SAE and routed approximately half of those funds back to SAE to create the false impression that the related Alaskan company was actually paying SAE for seismic data. The co-defendants allegedly kept the remainder of the misappropriated funds for themselves. Without denying the SEC’s allegations, Beatty consented to the entry of a final judgment permanently enjoining him from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933; Sections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), and 13(b)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; Rules 10b-5, 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, 13a-13, 13b2-1, 13b2-2, and 13a-14 thereunder; and Section 304(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”). The final judgment also orders Beatty to pay $219,940 in disgorgement plus $41,763 in prejudgment interest, for a total of $261,703. Beatty was also ordered to reimburse SAE $441,995 pursuant to Section 304(a) of the SOX. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a final consent judgment against SAE on December 17, 2020. The SEC’s ongoing litigation against other defendants is being conducted by Peter Lallas, Dean Conway, and Yael Berger, and supervised by James Connor. SEC Complaint Amended SEC Complaint Final Judgment - Brian A. Beatty Final Judgment - SAExploration Holdings, Inc.