| The founder and operator of a Swiss asset management firm was arrested yesterday on charges of engaging in a massive global securities fraud scheme that netted trading proceeds of approximately $164 million.
Roger Knox, 47, a resident of the United Kingdom, was charged by criminal complaint with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud. Knox was detained following an initial appearance yesterday.
The complaint alleges that from June 2015 until the present, Knox and co-conspirators operated a purported asset management firm based in Switzerland called Silverton, and later renamed Wintercap.
Through this business, Knox allegedly helped facilitate pump-and-dump and other market manipulation schemes by selling massive quantities of microcap securities on behalf of “control groups” who secretly owned the stock through nominee shareholders, and who simultaneously orchestrated promotional campaigns and other efforts to artificially inflate the price and trading volume of those shares.
The complaint alleges that Knox then funneled the proceeds of the securities fraud – totaling an estimated $164 million – to co-conspirators in the United States and elsewhere through a complex money transfer system that disguised the source and nature of the funds.
In a parallel action, the Securities and Exchange Commission in Boston announced civil charges against Knox yesterday.
