SEC Charges Ponzi Scheme Targeting U.S. Military Service Members

Litigation Release No. 24907 / September 21, 2020

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Milton J. Dosal, Jr., No. 1:20-cv-02844 (D. Colo. filed September 21, 2020)

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against a Colorado man for defrauding investors, including cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The SEC's complaint alleges that over a two-year period, Milton J. Dosal, Jr. raised nearly $100,000 from approximately 41 investors under the guise that he would day-trade stocks on their behalf. According to the complaint, Dosal, a car enthusiast, met a number of investors through car club events, including an Air Force Academy cadet who Dosal then used to gain access to other cadets Dosal convinced to invest.  The complaint alleges that Dosal falsely held himself out as a securities professional and misled investors about his trading activity and their investment returns. The complaint further alleges that Dosal's empty promises included telling investors that they could, with little risk, expect weekly returns of up to ten percent. Dosal also allegedly used fake stockbroker agreements and false account balances for some investors. The complaint alleges that Dosal used investor funds for personal expenses and diverted new investor funds to pay back prior investors, in a Ponzi-scheme fashion.

Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC's complaint, Dosal consented to the entry of a final judgment permanently enjoining him from violating the antifraud and broker-dealer registration provisions of the federal securities laws, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 10(b) and 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Dosal further agreed to return $51,633 of allegedly ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest of $3,503, and to pay a $51,633 civil penalty.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by J. Lee Robinson and supervised by Ian S. Karpel and Jason J. Burt of the SEC's Denver Regional Office.