📋 Tender Overview
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged six individuals with a multi-million dollar Ponzi-like fraud scheme orchestrated by criminal recidivist Eliyahu Weinstein of Lakewood New Jersey. Along with Weinstein the SEC charged Aryeh L. Bromberg Joel L. Wittels Richard M. Curry Christopher J. Anderson and Alaa Mohamed Hattab for their roles in the fraudulent scheme which involved raising investments to fund purported deals to purchase distribute and sell in-demand healthcare products. The SEC alleges that beginning in or around November 2021 Weinstein Bromberg and Wittels raised money from investors for purported deals through Optimus Investments Inc. while concealing Weinsteins identity criminal history and involvement from investors. Beginning in January 2022 Anderson and Curry allegedly began raising money for Optimus deals through Tryon Management Group LLC and by August 2022 they joined the other defendants in actively concealing Weinsteins role in the venture. Hattab provided substantial assistance to the other defendants in carrying out the scheme.According to the complaint by at least April 2022 when some of the purported Optimus deals proved to be unprofitable Weinstein Bromberg Wittels Curry and Anderson allegedly undertook a fraudulent scheme to use funds raised from investors to make Ponzi-like payments to earlier investors while mischaracterizing them as investment returns. The SEC alleges that collectively the defendants fraudulent scheme raised at least 38 million from at least 150 investors. Over and over the defendants took money from unsuspecting investors for fake deals and shuffled funds around to pay out earlier investors to give the false impression that they were receiving real profits from those deals sometimes even concealing Weinsteins criminal history and involvement in the deals said Antonia M. Apps Director of the SECs New York Regional Office. The SEC remains committed to holding accountable those who prey upon innocent investors and conceal the truth about their criminal pasts and schemes.
