Skip to content

SEC charges fund manager Ichioka with $25m offering fraud

SEC charges fund manager Ichioka with $25m offering fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission this week charged William K. Ichioka, of New York with fraudulently raising $25 million from individual investors primarily in California and Oregon by making false claims about his investing success and promising large anticipated returns. He instead used investor funds for gambling and to enrich himself. Ichioka has agreed to resolve the charges against him.

According to the SEC’s complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, from at least June 2019 to October 2021, Ichioka solicited investments for his unregistered investment fund, Ichioka Ventures, by claiming he was an accomplished investor, promising oversized returns, and guaranteeing investors’ principal.

In reality though, as the complaint alleges, Ichioka was unable to pay investors the promised returns and used money from new investors to repay other investors. In some respects, the case was starting to take on the characteristics of a pyramid scheme.


Also, as alleged in the complaint, Ichioka falsified a bank statement and other documents to create an appearance of success. Finally, according to the complaint, Ichioka misappropriated millions of investors’ funds for personal use, such as on luxury watches, cars, gambling, and a penthouse apartment.

“As we allege in our complaint, Ichioka lured investors by falsely stating that he was a self-made multimillionaire investor able to generate significant investment returns, but the real story was that Ichioka stole investor funds to enrich himself,” said Monique C. Winkler, Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “This case highlights the SEC’s commitment to holding bad actors accountable and protecting the integrity of our markets.”

The SEC’s complaint charges Ichioka with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. Ichioka has agreed to the entry of a partial final judgment, subject to court approval, imposing requested permanent and conduct-based injunctions as well as an officer and director bar, and reserving issues of disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and a civil penalty for further determination by the court.

In parallel actions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California (USAO) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today also announced charges against Ichioka.

Share this article

Invest with these platforms

Hargreaves Lansdown

IG

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Investor

Charles Stanley

IG

Interactive Brokers

Charles Stanley

Looking for great investing ideas? Get our free newsletter.
Join our UK news channel on WhatsApp

This article does not constitute investment advice.  Do your own research or consult a professional advisor.

Learn with our free 'How to' Guides

Our latest in-depth company reports

On the podcast

Sign up for great investing stock tips

Thanks to our Site Partners

Our partners are established, regulated businesses and we are grateful for their support.

Aquis
CME Group
FP Markets
Pepperstone
Schroders

abrdn
WisdomTree
ARK
FxPro
CMC Markets
Back To Top