SEC Charges Ian Bell with Defrauding Professional Athletes and Others in Fraudulent Day-Trading Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Denver resident Ian G. Bell with securities fraud for lying to investors and misappropriating their funds in connection with a fraudulent day-trading scheme. The SEC’s complaint alleges that, between July 2020 and March 2023, Bell raised more than $1.3 million from at least 29 investors, including professional athletes in Colorado, who are unidentified in the complaint. The SEC alleges that Bell lied to investors about his trading performance, including by sending many of them fabricated account performance screenshots. According to the complaint, several of Bell’s investors then referred their family and friends to Bell because of the false statements.