News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:SEC Charges Rothenberg Ventures in Fraudulent Scheme by throwawaymath on Monday August 20, 2018 @06:12PM (#17804488)
> Besides blowing investors' money on lavish staff events, which is a dick move but not necessarily illegal

Can you talk a bit about where the line is between this being merely unethical as opposed to outright illegal?

Re:SEC Charges Rothenberg Ventures in Fraudulent Scheme by dsr_ on Monday August 20, 2018 @06:51PM (#17804815)
If you're in charge of the company, you can authorize expenditures for anything that reasonably relates to the company's business, including attracting investors, retaining employees, or incenting them to succeed. It's reckless to spend all your money on parties, but not illegal.

But if you authorize the company to spend money on something which is in itself illegal (cocaine or weed for the parties, hookers instead of strippers), that's illegal. And if you effectively direct the money to your own benefit (pay for your house's landscaping, new pool, pet grooming bill) that's not legal (among other things, it counts as taxable income and I bet you forget to pay on that).

Re:SEC Charges Rothenberg Ventures in Fraudulent Scheme by cardiffspaceman on Monday August 20, 2018 @07:11PM (#17804975)
I think you left out this one:

If you make invoices that say you've ordered soda for the programmers, but there are no deliveries of soda because the money for sodas went to your overseas numbered account, that's illegal.

Re:SEC Charges Rothenberg Ventures in Fraudulent Scheme by paulddraper on Monday August 20, 2018 @07:22PM (#17805065)
Another place you could go wrong is if you try to hide your poor financial decisions by giving fraudulent reports to shareholders/SEC.

(Example: Enron)

Re:SEC Charges Rothenberg Ventures in Fraudulent Scheme by x0x0 on Monday August 20, 2018 @10:33PM (#17806408)
From the sec complaint

> Defendants at all relevant times were investment advisers within the meaning of Section 202(a)(11) of the Advisers Act [15 U.S.C. § 80b-2(a)(11)].

My personal guess: that law makes various actions (self-dealing, lying about what investment funds are being used for, non-arms-length transactions, etc) crimes instead of civil torts.

Plus, you know, just plain fraud.