SEC v. MIKHAIL KOKORICH, No. 1:21-cv-01869, District of Columbia (Nov. 25, 2024) — Judgment
raw: SEC v. Case No. 1:21-CV-1869-ACR
SEC v. Case No. 1:21-CV-1869-ACR, No. 1:21-cv-01869 (Nov. 25, 2024)
Mikhail Kokorich entered a final judgment with the SEC, agreeing to a $2,000,000 penalty and a five-year officer/director bar to resolve allegations of securities fraud.
Mikhail Kokorich consented to a final judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia regarding violations of the Securities Act of 1933. The SEC alleged Kokorich made misleading statements concerning a company's technology and U.S. national security concerns. As part of the settlement, Kokorich must pay a $2,000,000 civil penalty and is barred from serving as an officer or director of a reporting issuer for five years.
The Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a final judgment against Mikhail Kokorich for violating anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933. The allegations involved Kokorich making untrue statements or omissions regarding a company's technology and potential U.S. national security concerns related to him. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Kokorich consented to the court's jurisdiction and the entry of the judgment. He is permanently enjoined from future securities fraud and is prohibited from serving as an officer or director of any registered issuer for five years. Additionally, Kokorich is ordered to pay a $2,000,000 civil penalty to the SEC within 30 days. The court retained jurisdiction over the administration of any potential Fair Fund distribution from these funds.
Extracted insights
- $2.00M $2,000,000 $1M–$10M
- person mikhail kokorich ×2
- agency $2,000,000.00 to the securities and exchange commission
- agency Securities and Exchange Commission
- Securities And Exchange Commission filed a Complaint Mikhail Kokorich
- Mikhail Kokorich consented to the Court’s jurisdiction over Defendant and the subject matter of this action
- Mikhail Kokorich waived findings of fact and conclusions of law and waived any right to appeal from this Final Judgment
- Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating Section 17(a)(2) or (3) of the Securities Act of 1933
- Defendant is prohibited from acting as an officer or director of any issuer that has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act or that is required to file reports pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act
- Defendant shall pay a civil penalty $2,000,000.00 to the Securities and Exchange Commission
- Defendant shall make this payment within 30 days after entry of this Final Judgment
1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. Case No. 1:21-CV-1869-ACR MIKHAIL KOKORICH, Defendant. FINAL JUDGMENT The Securities and Exchange Commission having filed a Complaint and Defendant Mikhail Kokorich having entered a general appearance; consented to the Court’s jurisdiction over Defendant and the subject matter of this action; consented to entry of this Final Judgment without admitting or denying the allegations of the Complaint (except as to jurisdiction); waived findings of fact and conclusions of law; and waived any right to appeal from this Final Judgment: I. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating Section 17(a)(2) or (3) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) [15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)] in the offer or sale of any security by the use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce or by use of the mails, directly or indirectly: (2) to obtain money or property by means of any untrue statement of a material fact, or any omission of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or 2 (3) to engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser by, directly or indirectly, (i) creating a false appearance or otherwise misleading any person about the state of a company’s technology or any national security concerns of the United States regarding Mr. Kokorich, or (ii) making any false or misleading statement, or disseminating any false or misleading documents, materials, or information, concerning the state of a company’s technology or any national security concerns of the United States regarding Mr. Kokorich. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). II. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, pursuant to the Court’s inherent authority to fashion appropriate equitable relief in this matter, Defendant is prohibited, for five years following the date of entry of this Final Judgment, from acting as an officer or director of any issuer that has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78l] or that is required to file reports pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78o(d)]. III. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant shall pay a civil penalty in the amount of $2,000,000.00 to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 20(d) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77t(d)]. Defendant shall make this 3 payment within 30 days after entry of this Final Judgment. Defendant may transmit payment electronically to the Commission, which will provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon request. Payment may also be made directly from a bank account via Pay.gov through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm . Defendant may also pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United States postal money order payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which shall be delivered or mailed to Enterprise Services Center Accounts Receivable Branch 6500 South MacArthur Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73169 and shall be accompanied by a letter identifying the case title, civil action number, and name of this Court; Mikhail Kokorich as a defendant in this action; and specifying that payment is made pursuant to this Final Judgment. Defendant shall simultaneously transmit photocopies of evidence of payment and case identifying information to the Commission’s counsel in this action. By making this payment, Defendant relinquishes all legal and equitable right, title, and interest in such funds and no part of the funds shall be returned to Defendant. The Commission shall hold the funds paid by the Defendant (the “Fund”) until further order of the Court. The Commission may propose a plan to distribute the Fund subject to the Court’s approval. Such a plan may provide that the Fund shall be distributed pursuant to the Fair Fund provisions of Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Court shall retain jurisdiction over the administration of any distribution of the Fund and the Fund may only be disbursed pursuant to an Order of the Court. Regardless of whether any such Fair Fund distribution is made, amounts ordered to be 4 paid as civil penalties pursuant to this Judgment shall be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Defendant shall not, after offset or reduction of any award of compensatory damages in any Related Investor Action based on Defendant’s payment of disgorgement in this action, argue that he is entitled to, nor shall he further benefit by, offset or reduction of such compensatory damages award by the amount of any part of Defendant’s payment of a civil penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such a Penalty Offset, Defendant shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount of the Penalty Offset to the United States Treasury or to a Fair Fund, as the Commission directs. Such a payment shall not be deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil penalty imposed in this Judgment. For purposes of this paragraph, a “Related Investor Action” means a private damages action brought against Defendant by or on behalf of one or more investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Complaint in this action. The Commission may enforce the Court’s judgment for penalties by the use of all collection procedures authorized by law, including the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act, 28 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq., and moving for civil contempt for the violation of any Court orders issued in this action. Defendant shall pay post-judgment interest on any amounts due after 30 days of the entry of this Final Judgment pursuant to 28 USC § 1961. IV. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, solely for purposes of exceptions to discharge set forth in Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §523, the allegations in the complaint are true and admitted by Defendant, and further, any debt for 5 disgorgement, prejudgment interest, civil penalty or other amounts due by Defendant under this Final Judgment or any other judgment, order, consent order, decree or settlement agreement entered in connection with this proceeding, is a debt for the violation by Defendant of the federal securities laws or any regulation or order issued under such laws, as set forth in Section 523(a)(19) of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §523(a)(19). V. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that this Court shall retain jurisdiction of this matter for the purposes of enforcing the terms of this Final Judgment. Dated: November 25, 2024 ____________________________________ Ana C. Reyes United States District Judge
1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. Case No. 1:21-CV-1869-ACR MIKHAIL KOKORICH, Defendant. FINAL JUDGMENT The Securities and Exchange Commission having filed a Complaint and Defendant Mikhail Kokorich having entered a general appearance; consented to the Court’s jurisdiction over Defendant and the subject matter of this action; consented to entry of this Final Judgment without admitting or denying the allegations of the Complaint (except as to jurisdiction); waived findings of fact and conclusions of law; and waived any right to appeal from this Final Judgment: I. IT IS HEREBY FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant is permanently restrained and enjoined from violating Section 17(a)(2) or (3) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) [15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)] in the offer or sale of any security by the use of any means or instruments of transportation or communication in interstate commerce or by use of the mails, directly or indirectly: (2) to obtain money or property by means of any untrue statement of a material fact, or any omission of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or Case 1:21-cv-01869-ACR Document 51 Filed 11/25/24 Page 1 of 5 2 (3) to engage in any transaction, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon the purchaser by, directly or indirectly, (i) creating a false appearance or otherwise misleading any person about the state of a company’s technology or any national security concerns of the United States regarding Mr. Kokorich, or (ii) making any false or misleading statement, or disseminating any false or misleading documents, materials, or information, concerning the state of a company’s technology or any national security concerns of the United States regarding Mr. Kokorich. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, as provided in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(d)(2), the foregoing paragraph also binds the following who receive actual notice of this Final Judgment by personal service or otherwise: (a) Defendant’s officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys; and (b) other persons in active concert or participation with Defendant or with anyone described in (a). II. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, pursuant to the Court’s inherent authority to fashion appropriate equitable relief in this matter, Defendant is prohibited, for five years following the date of entry of this Final Judgment, from acting as an officer or director of any issuer that has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78l] or that is required to file reports pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78o(d)]. III. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that Defendant shall pay a civil penalty in the amount of $2,000,000.00 to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 20(d) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77t(d)]. Defendant shall make this Case 1:21-cv-01869-ACR Document 51 Filed 11/25/24 Page 2 of 5 3 payment within 30 days after entry of this Final Judgment. Defendant may transmit payment electronically to the Commission, which will provide detailed ACH transfer/Fedwire instructions upon request. Payment may also be made directly from a bank account via Pay.gov through the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm. Defendant may also pay by certified check, bank cashier’s check, or United States postal money order payable to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which shall be delivered or mailed to Enterprise Services Center Accounts Receivable Branch 6500 South MacArthur Boulevard Oklahoma City, OK 73169 and shall be accompanied by a letter identifying the case title, civil action number, and name of this Court; Mikhail Kokorich as a defendant in this action; and specifying that payment is made pursuant to this Final Judgment. Defendant shall simultaneously transmit photocopies of evidence of payment and case identifying information to the Commission’s counsel in this action. By making this payment, Defendant relinquishes all legal and equitable right, title, and interest in such funds and no part of the funds shall be returned to Defendant. The Commission shall hold the funds paid by the Defendant (the “Fund”) until further order of the Court. The Commission may propose a plan to distribute the Fund subject to the Court’s approval. Such a plan may provide that the Fund shall be distributed pursuant to the Fair Fund provisions of Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Court shall retain jurisdiction over the administration of any distribution of the Fund and the Fund may only be disbursed pursuant to an Order of the Court. Regardless of whether any such Fair Fund distribution is made, amounts ordered to be Case 1:21-cv-01869-ACR Document 51 Filed 11/25/24 Page 3 of 5 http://www.sec.gov/about/offices/ofm.htm 4 paid as civil penalties pursuant to this Judgment shall be treated as penalties paid to the government for all purposes, including all tax purposes. To preserve the deterrent effect of the civil penalty, Defendant shall not, after offset or reduction of any award of compensatory damages in any Related Investor Action based on Defendant’s payment of disgorgement in this action, argue that he is entitled to, nor shall he further benefit by, offset or reduction of such compensatory damages award by the amount of any part of Defendant’s payment of a civil penalty in this action (“Penalty Offset”). If the court in any Related Investor Action grants such a Penalty Offset, Defendant shall, within 30 days after entry of a final order granting the Penalty Offset, notify the Commission’s counsel in this action and pay the amount of the Penalty Offset to the United States Treasury or to a Fair Fund, as the Commission directs. Such a payment shall not be deemed an additional civil penalty and shall not be deemed to change the amount of the civil penalty imposed in this Judgment. For purposes of this paragraph, a “Related Investor Action” means a private damages action brought against Defendant by or on behalf of one or more investors based on substantially the same facts as alleged in the Complaint in this action. The Commission may enforce the Court’s judgment for penalties by the use of all collection procedures authorized by law, including the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act, 28 U.S.C. § 3001 et seq., and moving for civil contempt for the violation of any Court orders issued in this action. Defendant shall pay post-judgment interest on any amounts due after 30 days of the entry of this Final Judgment pursuant to 28 USC § 1961. IV. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that, solely for purposes of exceptions to discharge set forth in Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §523, the allegations in the complaint are true and admitted by Defendant, and further, any debt for Case 1:21-cv-01869-ACR Document 51 Filed 11/25/24 Page 4 of 5 5 disgorgement, prejudgment interest, civil penalty or other amounts due by Defendant under this Final Judgment or any other judgment, order, consent order, decree or settlement agreement entered in connection with this proceeding, is a debt for the violation by Defendant of the federal securities laws or any regulation or order issued under such laws, as set forth in Section 523(a)(19) of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. §523(a)(19). V. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that this Court shall retain jurisdiction of this matter for the purposes of enforcing the terms of this Final Judgment. Dated: November 25, 2024 ____________________________________ Ana C. Reyes United States District Judge Case 1:21-cv-01869-ACR Document 51 Filed 11/25/24 Page 5 of 5 2024-11-25T10:33:25-0500 Ana C. Reyes