The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) scored a big W this week when a California federal judge ordered cannabis investment firm VerdeGroup to pay more than $1 million in civil penalties, disgorgement, and interest. Law360 reported the final judgment was issued on January 20, 2022, and the defendants have 14 days to pay the SEC. In addition to the payments, the judge has permanently banned VerdeGroup, Thomas Gaffney, and Lisa Gordon from the securities industry.
U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. has ordered VerdeGroup to pay a civil penalty of $500,000. VerdeGroup, Tommy’s Pizza, Gaffney and his wife Cynthia Gaffney are jointly and severally liable for disgorgement of more than $470,000, including prejudgment interest. Gaffney and Lisa Gordon were also ordered to pay civil penalties of $100,000 and $5,000, respectively.
Cannabis Scam
The SEC had alleged that from January 2018 through July 2019, VerdeGroup raised approximately $612,765 from about 27 investors from several states. Thomas Gaffney is described in the original complaint as a recidivist violator of the securities laws. Gaffney was sued by the SEC in 2013 for engaging in a fraudulent stock scheme involving illicit kickbacks and phony agreements to mask the kickback. He was sentenced to time served, followed by three years of supervised release with a special condition of eight months of home confinement,
among other things.
In this alleged scam, Gaffney is accused of fooling 27 investors and…
