The SEC has now barred two men for a whopping $27m market manipulation scheme, which included illegal stock sales and misleading articles.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has secured final judgments against Elliot Maza and John H. Ford, two individuals charged with orchestrating a sophisticated $27 million market manipulation scheme.
According to the rulings, announced on May 22, 2025, impose significant financial penalties and permanently bar both men from participating in the penny stock market, marking a significant victory for regulators in their ongoing efforts to combat fraudulent practices in microcap securities.
The SEC’s litigation, detailed in Litigation Release No. 26308, revealed that Maza and Ford engaged in a scheme involving “short and distort” tactics, a manipulative strategy designed to artificially depress stock prices for personal gain.
According to the SEC’s complaint, the defendants disseminated false and misleading information through articles and other media to drive down the prices of targeted penny stocks, allowing them to profit from short positions.
This deceptive practice, which undermines investor confidence and market integrity, led to substantial illicit gains estimated at $27 million.
The Scheme: A Web of Deception
The SEC’s investigation uncovered that Maza and Ford collaborated to manipulate the market for certain microcap issuers.
By publishing “short and distort” articles, they spread negative and often fabricated information about the companies, creating panic among investors and causing stock prices to plummet.
This allowed the defendants to capitalize on their short positions, profiting as the stock values declined.
The scheme, which spanned several years, targeted vulnerable penny stocks—securities typically priced under $5 per share and traded in over-the-counter markets.
“These actions demonstrate the SEC’s commitment to rooting out manipulative practices that harm retail investors and distort fair markets,” said a spokesperson from the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.
“The penalties and bans imposed on Maza and Ford send a clear message that such conduct will face severe consequences.”
Penalties and Market Bans
The final judgments, entered by a federal court, imposed a combined $678,000 in financial penalties on Maza and Ford.
Additionally, both individuals are now permanently barred from participating in any offerings of penny stocks, effectively excluding them from a segment of the market they exploited.
This prohibition extends to acting as promoters, consultants, or in any capacity related to penny stock transactions, ensuring they cannot repeat their manipulative tactics.
The SEC’s case highlighted the significant harm caused by “short and distort” schemes, which can devastate small companies and erode trust in the financial markets.
Penny stocks, often associated with emerging or speculative businesses, are particularly susceptible to such manipulation due to their low liquidity and limited public information.
Broader Context: SEC’s Aggressive Enforcement
In fiscal year 2024, the SEC reported record-breaking financial remedies totaling $8.2 billion, including high-profile cases against entities like Terraform Labs and Morgan Stanley.
Though retail investors argue that the SEC mainly targeted the small fish over the bigger fish.
The case against Maza and Ford also underscores the SEC’s vigilance in addressing “short and distort” schemes, which are less popular than “pump and dump” strategies but arguably more common.
Unlike pump-and-dump schemes, where fraudsters inflate stock prices before selling, short-and-distort tactics involve betting against a stock’s value and spreading misinformation to drive it down, as seen in 2021 by Motley Fool, Benzinga, InvestorPlace, and many others during the meme stock frenzy.
The practice is intended to distort perception about a company, often times leaving out important information — such as AMC’s high short interest and short squeeze probability for example — and catering to a Wall Street short narrative, meant to deceive the public.
In the case of AMC Entertainment, Franknez.com was the only media publishing both sides of the coin, leading investors to massive gains when share prices rose from $6 to a whopping $72 per share.
Our analysis was unbiased and fueled the new culture we see in finance and investing today.
Also Read: Expert Predicts Massive Panic Will Trigger Short Squeeze Across the Market
Implications for Investors and the Market
The penalties and bans imposed on Maza and Ford serve as a warning to others contemplating similar schemes.
For retail investors, the case highlights the risks of investing in penny stocks, which are often promoted through aggressive marketing or misleading information.
One particular company that comes to mind is Mullen Automotive, where shareholders have scrutinized the CEO for promoting false press releases to encourage buying the stock, only to later dilute investors.
The SEC encourages investors to conduct thorough due diligence and rely on verified information from reputable sources before making investment decisions.
The broader financial industry is also taking note.
With SEC Chair Paul Atkins expected to shift enforcement priorities, questions remain about the future direction of the agency’s efforts in combating market manipulation.
Also Read: Retail Investors Now Fire Back At The New SEC Chair
Looking Ahead
As the SEC continues to crack down on market manipulation, the case against Maza and Ford stands as a testament to the agency’s resolve to uphold market integrity.
The $678,000 in fines and permanent penny stock bans reflect the severity of their actions and the broader harm inflicted on investors and the marketplace.
For now, the SEC’s message is clear: those who seek to profit through deception will face swift and decisive consequences.
The SEC’s litigation against Maza and Ford was handled by attorneys from the New York Regional Office, with supervision from senior enforcement officials.
The agency expressed gratitude for the assistance of other regulatory bodies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, in bringing the case to a successful resolution.
For more details, the full litigation release is available on the SEC’s official website.
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