SEC Charges Unlicensed Broker With Defrauding Investors

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Joshua L. Rupp of Michigan for engaging in securities fraud and for acting as an unregistered broker-dealer. The SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleges that Rupp engaged in a fraudulent investment scheme from January 2018 through July 2019 which included misstatements, false documents and misappropriation of investor funds. According to the complaint, Rupp raised over $2.2 million from about 20 investors who lacked significant investment experience by misrepresenting that he was a licensed securities professional, he would generate profits for investors by trading on their behalf, and investors’ principal was protected from losses.