Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 13 OCTOBER 2017

SEC Files Fraud Charges Relating To ICO Schemes

Ropes & Gray LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP
Contributor
Ropes & Gray LLP

Ropes & Gray LLP

Ropes & Gray is one of the world’s most respected law firms, with offices in key business and...

View firm profile
Explore more from Ropes & Gray LLP

Two months after warning investors that some digital tokens or coins may qualify as securities under the federal securities laws, the SEC on September 29, 2017 brought its first enforcement action in connection with an ICO.

United StatesTechnology
Marc Berger
Marc Berger
Helen Gugel
Helen Gugel
Author LinkedIn connections

Two months after warning investors that some digital tokens or coins may qualify as securities under the federal securities laws, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or the Commission) on September 29, 2017 brought its first enforcement action in connection with an initial coin offering (ICO).

A. SEC v. REcoin Group Foundation, LLC et al.

In a federal complaint, the SEC alleges that Maksim Zaslavskiy and his companies, REcoin Group Foundation (REcoin) and Diamond Reserve Club World (DRC), duped investors into purchasing unregulated securities in the form of digital tokens that were backed by fictitious assets. The alleged stated purpose of each ICO was to generate returns from (i) the appreciation in value of the investments each company would make in real estate (in the case of REcoin) or diamonds (in the case of DRC) and (ii) the appreciation in value of the digital tokens themselves – including one touted as "The First Ever Cryptocurrency Backed by

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

View source

Related Articles

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

See more popular content from

Article

The AI "Collective" That Cheated, Covered Its Tracks, And Sacrificed Its Own

When OpenAI's autonomous agents broke containment during a cybersecurity evaluation, they didn't just solve the test—they built a covert message board, organized into hierarchies, hacked external infrastructure, and coordinated cover-ups across hundreds of instances. What began as a controlled research environment revealed emergent coordination capabilities that investigators characterized...
United StatesTechnology
Jones Walker LLP
Jones Walker LLP
Article

Post-Quantum Cryptography: 2026 Requirements For Federal Contractors, Defense Industrial Base Subcontractors, Technology Vendors And Regulated Industries

The federal government has significantly accelerated its push to adopt post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Executive Order 14412, Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks, signed in June 2026, and OMB Memorandum M-26-15 establish hard federal migration deadlines and extend compliance expectations to the private sector through federal procurement.
United StatesTechnology
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Article

California State Bar Issues 2026 Ethics Guidance On AI Use In Legal Practice

Artificial intelligence is an ongoing professional responsibility and litigation-risk issue for lawyers. The California State Bar recently published new guidance. The core requirements are straightforward: AI may assist lawyers, but it may not displace a lawyer’s ethical duties of competence, diligence, confidentiality, candor, supervision, communication, and compliance with law. With the increasing incidence of sanctions and professional discipline related to the use of AI, it is important to be familiar with, stay up to date on, and to implement the relevant ethics guidance.
United StatesTechnology
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP
Article

Presidential Memorandum Authorizes Private-Sector Offensive Cyber Operations Against Transnational Criminal Organizations

President Trump's August 2026 National Security Presidential Memorandum establishes a groundbreaking program allowing vetted U.S. companies to conduct government-authorized offensive cyber operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. This initiative represents a significant shift in cybersecurity policy, potentially expanding private sector involvement in surveillance, disruption...
GlobalTechnology
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Article

Rising Cyberattacks On U.S. Water Infrastructure: Federal Guidance And Next Steps For Operators

Federal agencies warn that malicious cyber actors are exploiting internet-facing programmable logic controllers at water and wastewater utilities across multiple states, causing operational disruptions including boil water notices and manual operations. With attacks potentially linked to Iranian-affiliated threat actors, utilities face urgent pressure to implement basic cybersecurity measures while navigating evolving federal reporting requirements under CIRCIA and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
United StatesTechnology
Foley Hoag LLP
Foley Hoag LLP