SEC v. Steve A. Smith, Jr.; and Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc., No. LR-26285, Southern District of Florida (Apr. 15, 2025) — Press Release
raw: Steve A. Smith, Jr.; Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc.
Steve A. Smith, Jr.; Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc., No. 1:24-cv-24802 (Apr. 15, 2025)
The SEC obtained final judgments against Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. and CEO Steve A. Smith, Jr. for a fraudulent scheme to illegally sell unregistered stock.
The defendants were charged with orchestrating a scheme to sell over $5 million in unregistered stock by hiding insider control through unaffiliated entities and filing false audited financial reports. The SEC obtained judgments requiring joint and several disgorgement of $436,000 plus $97,509 in interest, along with individual civil penalties of $436,000 for the company and $236,451 for Smith. Smith also consented to officer-and-director and penny stock bars and a permanent conduct-based injunction.
The SEC obtained final judgments by consent against Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. and its CEO, Steve A. Smith, Jr., for a fraudulent scheme to illegally sell company stock. To bypass legal limits on insider sales, Smith and in-house counsel allegedly used purportedly unaffiliated entities to hide their control of the stock. The scheme also involved filing a false annual report in April 2022 that claimed financial statements were audited to bypass over-the-counter market restrictions. These illegal transactions generated over $5 million in proceeds, with the company receiving at least $436,000. The defendants were ordered to pay joint and several disgorgement of $436,000 plus $97,509 in interest, alongside individual civil penalties of $436,000 for the company and $236,451 for Smith. Additionally, Smith received officer-and-director and penny stock bars, as well as a permanent conduct-based injunction against participating in security issuances.
Exhibits & Attached Documents (2)
Extracted insights
- $5.00M $5 million $1M–$10M
- $436K $436,000 $100K–$1M
- $436K $436,000 $100K–$1M
- $236K $236,451 $100K–$1M
- $98K $97,509 $10K–$100K
- person false filing
- person michael moran
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- organization Securities and Exchange Commission
- company xtreme fighting championships, inc.
- organization Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc.
- Securities And Exchange Commission obtained judgments against Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. and Steve a. Smith, Jr.
- Securities And Exchange Commission charged Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. and Steve a. Smith, Jr. with fraud
- Steve a. Smith, Jr. controlled Xtreme Fighting stock
- Steve a. Smith, Jr. hid control of the stock
- Steve a. Smith, Jr. made false filing
- Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. received $436,000 in illegal proceeds
- Securities And Exchange Commission ordered Xtreme Fighting and Smith to pay $436,000
- Steve a. Smith, Jr. consented to officer-and-director and penny stock bars
- Michael Moran handled the case
- Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. generated over $5 million in illegal proceeds
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26285 / April 15, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Steve A. Smith, Jr. and Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc., No. 1:24-cv-24802 (S.D. Fla. filed Dec. 9, 2024) SEC Obtains Judgments Against Sports Entertainment and Media Company and CEO for Fraudulent Scheme to Illegally Sell Stock to Investing Public On, April 15, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained final judgments by consent against Florida-based Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. and its CEO, Steve A. Smith, Jr. In December 2024, the Commission charged Xtreme Fighting and Smith with engaging in a fraudulent scheme to sell Xtreme Fighting stock to the investing public illegally. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleged that the stock sales were illegal because Smith and Xtreme Fighting's in-house counsel controlled the stock and sold it in transactions that were neither registered with the Commission nor exempt from registration. As alleged, Smith and the in-house counsel hid their control of the stock to avoid legal limits on sales by insiders by issuing the stock to purportedly unaffiliated entities that, in reality, they controlled. The complaint also alleged that to further the scheme, in April 2022, Smith and Xtreme Fighting publicly filed an annual report falsely stating that Xtreme Fighting's financial statements were audited. Smith allegedly made the false filing because Xtreme Fighting's annual report was delinquent, which restricted sales of the company's stock in the over-the-counter market. Smith allegedly also issued two social media posts about the false filing. The scheme allegedly generated over $5 million in illegal proceeds, of which Xtreme Fighting received at least $436,000. Xtreme Fighting and Smith consented to entry of the final judgments, without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, permanently enjoining them from violating Sections 5 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 final judgments ordered Xtreme Fighting and Smith to pay, on a joint-and-several basis, disgorgement of $436,000 and prejudgment interest of $97,509, as well as individual civil penalties of $436,000 and $236,451, respectively. Smith also consented to officer-and-director and penny stock bars, as well as a conduct-based injunction permanently enjoining him from directly or indirectly participating in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any security, but allowing for trading on a national securities exchange in his own personal account. This case was handled by Michael Moran, Kathleen Shields, William J. Durkin, and Amy Gwiazda of the SEC's Boston Regional Office.
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 26285 / April 15, 2025 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Steve A. Smith, Jr. and Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc., No. 1:24-cv-24802 (S.D. Fla. filed Dec. 9, 2024) SEC Obtains Judgments Against Sports Entertainment and Media Company and CEO for Fraudulent Scheme to Illegally Sell Stock to Investing Public On, April 15, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained final judgments by consent against Florida-based Xtreme Fighting Championships, Inc. and its CEO, Steve A. Smith, Jr. In December 2024, the Commission charged Xtreme Fighting and Smith with engaging in a fraudulent scheme to sell Xtreme Fighting stock to the investing public illegally. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, alleged that the stock sales were illegal because Smith and Xtreme Fighting's in-house counsel controlled the stock and sold it in transactions that were neither registered with the Commission nor exempt from registration. As alleged, Smith and the in-house counsel hid their control of the stock to avoid legal limits on sales by insiders by issuing the stock to purportedly unaffiliated entities that, in reality, they controlled. The complaint also alleged that to further the scheme, in April 2022, Smith and Xtreme Fighting publicly filed an annual report falsely stating that Xtreme Fighting's financial statements were audited. Smith allegedly made the false filing because Xtreme Fighting's annual report was delinquent, which restricted sales of the company's stock in the over-the-counter market. Smith allegedly also issued two social media posts about the false filing. The scheme allegedly generated over $5 million in illegal proceeds, of which Xtreme Fighting received at least $436,000. Xtreme Fighting and Smith consented to entry of the final judgments, without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, permanently enjoining them from violating Sections 5 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 final judgments ordered Xtreme Fighting and Smith to pay, on a joint-and-several basis, disgorgement of $436,000 and prejudgment interest of $97,509, as well as individual civil penalties of $436,000 and $236,451, respectively. Smith also consented to officer-and-director and penny stock bars, as well as a conduct-based injunction permanently enjoining him from directly or indirectly participating in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any security, but allowing for trading on a national securities exchange in his own personal account. This case was handled by Michael Moran, Kathleen Shields, William J. Durkin, and Amy Gwiazda of the SEC's Boston Regional Office.