SEC v. Ameri Metro, Inc.; Shahnawaz Mathias; Penndel Land Development Co.; and HSRF Trust, No. LR-26353, District of Columbia (July 21, 2025) — Press Release
raw: Ameri Metro, Inc., Shahnawaz Mathias, Penndel Land Development Co., and HSRF Trust
Ameri Metro, Inc., Shahnawaz Mathias, Penndel Land Development Co., and HSRF Trust, No. 1:25-cv-02313 (D.D.C. July 21, 2025)
SEC charged Shahnawaz Mathias and Ameri Metro with a $2.4 million offering fraud involving massive misrepresentations of assets and funding to over 150 investors.
Shahnawaz Mathias and his companies, including Ameri Metro, Inc., are charged with defrauding investors of approximately $2.4 million through unregistered securities offerings. The defendants allegedly made false SEC filings claiming acquisitions worth over $800 million and secured funding of $950 billion. The charges include violations of antifraud and registration provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Exchange Act of 1934.
The SEC has charged Shahnawaz 'Shah' Mathias and his infrastructure company, Ameri Metro, Inc., with orchestrating a multi-million dollar offering fraud. Between 2020 and 2024, Mathias sold approximately $2.4 million in shares to more than 150 investors through his entities, Penndel Land Development Co. and HSRF Trust. To inflate company value, the defendants filed false SEC reports claiming acquisitions of assets valued at $260 million and $540 million, as well as a Greek company with $1 billion in annual revenue. Furthermore, Ameri Metro falsely claimed to have secured $950 billion in funding despite having no actual operations or revenue. The litigation, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, targets violations of antifraud, registration, and periodic reporting provisions. Mathias and his companies face charges under both the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Exhibits & Attached Documents (1)
Extracted insights
- $950.00B $950 billion ≥$1B
- $1.00B $1 billion ≥$1B
- $540.00M $540 million $100M–$1B
- $260.00M $260 million $100M–$1B
- $2.40M $2.4 million $1M–$10M
- person ameri metro
- agency by trial counsel judson mihok of the sec’s philadelphia regional office
- agency sec investigation
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- agency securities to the public without registering the offering with the sec
- person shahnawaz mathias
- company shahnawaz mathias and ameri metro, inc.
- agency two forms 8‑k with the sec
- U.S. Securities And Exchange Commission charged Shahnawaz Mathias and Ameri Metro, Inc.
- Shahnawaz Mathias offered and sold approximately $2.4 million of Ameri Metro shares to more than 150 investors through Penndel Land Development Co. and Hsrf Trust
- Ameri Metro filed two Forms 8‑K with the SEC
- Ameri Metro falsely claimed acquisition of an easement valued at $260 million for a commercial development in Pennsylvania
- Ameri Metro falsely claimed acquisition of a Greek real estate holding company with $1 billion in annual revenues
- Ameri Metro falsely claimed solidified funding of approximately $950 billion from large financial institutions
- Shahnawaz Mathias offered and sold securities to the public without registering the offering with the SEC
- Complaint charges Ameri Metro, Penndel Land Development Co., Hsrf Trust, and Shahnawaz Mathias with violating antifraud and registration provisions of the Securities Act
- Complaint charges Ameri Metro with violations of periodic reporting provisions of the Exchange Act
- Complaint charges Shahnawaz Mathias with aiding and abetting those violations
- SEC Investigation conducted by Jennifer Miller, Jack Easton, and Brian Higgins of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office
- Litigation will be conducted by trial counsel Judson Mihok of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office
- Kingdon Kase, Gregory R. Bockin, and Scott a. Thompson supervised the matter
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26353 / July 21, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Shahnawaz Mathias aka Shah Mathias, Ameri Metro, Inc., Penndel Land Development Co., and HSRF Trust, No. 1:25-cv-02313 (D.D.C. filed July 18, 2025) SEC Charges CEO and Purported Infrastructure Company with a Multi-Million Dollar Offering Fraud On July 18, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Shahnawaz “Shah” Mathias and the Pennsylvania-based infrastructure company he founded, Ameri Metro, Inc., with defrauding investors by materially misrepresenting the company’s business operations, acquisitions, and valuation in a number of SEC filings. According to the SEC’s complaint, from July 2020 until at least April 2024, Mathias offered for sale and sold approximately $2.4 million worth of Ameri Metro shares to more than 150 investors through his wholly owned companies, Penndel Land Development Co. and HSRF Trust. The complaint alleges that while the offering was ongoing Ameri Metro filed two Forms 8-K with the SEC; the first, falsely claiming that one of Ameri Metro’s subsidiaries had acquired an easement for a commercial development in Pennsylvania valued at $260 million; and the second claiming acquisition of another easement and rights to develop property in San Bernardino, California with a purchase price of over $540 million. The complaint further alleges that Ameri Metro filed another Form 8-K falsely stating that it had acquired a Greek real estate holding company with $1 billion in annual revenues, and that in its 2023 Form 10-K, Ameri Metro falsely claimed it had solidified funding of approximately $950 billion from large financial institutions, when, in reality, Ameri Metro had no operations or revenue and had neither acquired the holding company nor secured the purported financing. According to the complaint, Mathias offered and sold the securities to the public without registering the offering with the SEC and without an applicable exemption from registration The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, charges Ameri Metro, Penndel, HSRF and Mathias with violating the antifraud and registration provisions of Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The complaint further charges Ameri Metro with violations of the periodic reporting provisions of Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, and 13a-11 thereunder, and Mathias with aiding and abetting those violations. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Jennifer Miller, Jack Easton, and Brian Higgins of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office. The litigation will be conducted by trial counsel Judson Mihok, also of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office. Kingdon Kase, Gregory R. Bockin, and Scott A. Thompson supervised this matter.
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26353 / July 21, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Shahnawaz Mathias aka Shah Mathias, Ameri Metro, Inc., Penndel Land Development Co., and HSRF Trust, No. 1:25-cv-02313 (D.D.C. filed July 18, 2025) SEC Charges CEO and Purported Infrastructure Company with a Multi-Million Dollar Offering Fraud On July 18, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Shahnawaz “Shah” Mathias and the Pennsylvania-based infrastructure company he founded, Ameri Metro, Inc., with defrauding investors by materially misrepresenting the company’s business operations, acquisitions, and valuation in a number of SEC filings. According to the SEC’s complaint, from July 2020 until at least April 2024, Mathias offered for sale and sold approximately $2.4 million worth of Ameri Metro shares to more than 150 investors through his wholly owned companies, Penndel Land Development Co. and HSRF Trust. The complaint alleges that while the offering was ongoing Ameri Metro filed two Forms 8-K with the SEC; the first, falsely claiming that one of Ameri Metro’s subsidiaries had acquired an easement for a commercial development in Pennsylvania valued at $260 million; and the second claiming acquisition of another easement and rights to develop property in San Bernardino, California with a purchase price of over $540 million. The complaint further alleges that Ameri Metro filed another Form 8-K falsely stating that it had acquired a Greek real estate holding company with $1 billion in annual revenues, and that in its 2023 Form 10-K, Ameri Metro falsely claimed it had solidified funding of approximately $950 billion from large financial institutions, when, in reality, Ameri Metro had no operations or revenue and had neither acquired the holding company nor secured the purported financing. According to the complaint, Mathias offered and sold the securities to the public without registering the offering with the SEC and without an applicable exemption from registration The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, charges Ameri Metro, Penndel, HSRF and Mathias with violating the antifraud and registration provisions of Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The complaint further charges Ameri Metro with violations of the periodic reporting provisions of Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, and 13a-11 thereunder, and Mathias with aiding and abetting those violations. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Jennifer Miller, Jack Easton, and Brian Higgins of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office. The litigation will be conducted by trial counsel Judson Mihok, also of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office. Kingdon Kase, Gregory R. Bockin, and Scott A. Thompson supervised this matter.