Alleged Ponzi scheme creator had crypto links, says report

Christoph Haaks

A woman who is accused of building a Ponzi scheme and running investment vehicles entirely by herself with no oversight has been linked to crypto fraud.

Brenda Ann Smith, of Philadelphia in the US, was seen by many as a prominent woman financier who was successful in her field.

She had a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, and she was also involved in the Philadelphia Stock Exchange too.

She operated a firm called Broad Reach Capital, however, one particular trading decision ended up causing her losses of around $10 million US dollars.

When this happened, she allegedly concealed the loss and told her investors that their profits were in fact rising.

In recent days, press articles have shone some light on the areas in which Smith allegedly planned to invest this cash from traders.

One of these, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, was cryptocurrencies.

On one occasion, a client of Smith’s is believed to have approached her to ask to liquidate his investment.

She is alleged to have told him that his money could not be taken out as it was invested in a range of locations – such as $20.25 million which she had placed in “securitized crypto-currency”.

However, she never moved ahead with many of the investments she told her clients she was performing – and instead ended up holding on to the cash entrusted to her.

In a move outlined by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), she has now had her assets frozen.

She has also been taken into custody on a range of criminal charges.

In a statement given by the SEC, more details were given about how she considered “various trading strategies”.

She allegedly “raised approximately $105 million from approximately 40 investors by representing that she would invest their money in publicly traded securities through various trading strategies that she championed as providing consistent high returns”.

“However, Smith made very few investments in these trading strategies, and instead largely used investors’ money to repay other investors and for her own personal investments”, the complaint added.

The complaint also outlined the nature of the “fabricated documents” Smith supposedly created.

“The complaint alleges that Smith, and the entities she controls, also disseminated false statements touting positive returns and most recently fabricated documents in an attempt to inflate Broad Reach’s assets and lull her investors into believing their capital is safe”, it reads.

G. Jeffrey Boujoukos, who is regional director of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office, added that her alleged lies breached her duties.

“An investment adviser serves in a position of trust, and has a fiduciary duty to speak truthfully to clients”, Boujoukos said.

“We allege that Ms. Smith breached her clients’ trust by misleading investors with false claims of how she invested their money and how those investments performed.”

If the case is successful, Smith may end up being liable for a range of payments including disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, interest accrued in the run-up to any judgement which is applies, and civil penalties.


Christoph Haaks

Latest news

Forex vs Crypto: What’s Better For Beginner Traders?
The crypto and forex markets are two of the world’s most popular among investors and traders. Read more
Three Great Technical Analysis Tools for Forex Trading
You don’t have to be very technical minded to make use of technical analysis in your forex trading. Read more

Safest Forex Brokers 2024

Broker Info Best In Customer Satisfaction Score
#1 Blackbull LogoYour capital is at risk Founded: 2014 Global Forex Broker
Number One Broker
BEST SPREADS Visit broker
4.8
#2 AvaTrade LogoYour capital is at risk Founded: 2006 Globally regulated broker
Number One Broker
BEST CUSTOMER SUPPORT Visit broker
4.9
#3 * 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money Founded: 2008 Global CFD Provider
Number One Broker
Best Trading App Visit broker
5
#4 Between 74-89 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs Founded: 2010 Global Forex Broker
Number One Broker
Low minimum deposit Visit broker
4.9
#5 Forex Broker eToro Logo76% of CFD traders lose money Founded: 2007 Global CFD & FX Broker
Number One Broker
ALL-INCLUSIVE TRADING PLATFORM Visit broker
4.9
#6 XM LogoYour capital is at risk Founded: 2009, 2015 and 2017 Global Forex Broker
Number One Broker
Low minimum deposit Visit broker
5
#7 FxPro LogoYour capital is at risk Founded: 2006 CFD and Cryptocurrency Broker
Number One Broker
CFD and Cryptocurrency Visit broker
5

    Forex Fraud Certified Brokers

    BlackBull Logo Small
    XM Logo
    eToro Logo
    AvaTrade logo
    FXTM Logo
    FxPro logo
    CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.