SEC v. Brian Callahan, Adam Manson and others (ponzi schemes, 2023)
Judgment entered
Checked against the primary document on October 3, 2026. The library's summary, tags and figures for this record were compared with the regulator's own document by an AI model (Claude) following written instructions, with sampled and disputed records read a second time. No lawyer has reviewed them. A checked record can still contain errors, and checked does not mean endorsed. See how we check records or report a correction.
In May 2023 the SEC announced a judgment against Brian Callahan, Adam Manson and 2 others. On 12 May 2023 the court entered final judgments by consent enjoining Callahan, Manson and Manson's two entities over a Ponzi scheme in which Callahan raised over $90 million for five offshore funds. Callahan was sentenced to 12 years in a parallel criminal case and Manson to two years.
The record
| Agency | SEC |
|---|---|
| Release number | LR-25728 |
| Date filed | 2023-05-17 |
| Date resolved | 2023-05-17 |
| Court | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York |
| Status | judgment |
| Criminal parallel | Yes: sentenced (Brian R. Callahan (sentenced 2017; Adam Manson sentenced to 24 months in October 2022)), U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York |
| Sentence | 12 years |
| Defendants | Brian Callahan ; Adam Manson ; Distinctive Investments, LLC ; Distinctive Ventures, LLC |
| Techniques | Ponzi schemes |
What was ordered
- Civil penalty
- —
- Disgorgement
- —
- Prejudgment interest
- —
- Total relief
- —
- Alleged gain
- —
What is alleged to have happened
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced this matter on May 17, 2023 as release LR-25728. On 12 May 2023 the court entered final judgments by consent enjoining Callahan, Manson and Manson's two entities over a Ponzi scheme in which Callahan raised over $90 million for five offshore funds. Callahan was sentenced to 12 years in a parallel criminal case and Manson to two years.
This library tags the matter as a Ponzi scheme because the document describes returns to earlier investors paid from later investors' money, as alleged or found. The tagging is ours, not the regulator's: agencies charge statutory provisions, not technique names.
A parallel criminal proceeding is referenced. Civil and criminal outcomes are recorded separately, because they resolve on different standards of proof.
What technique is this, and how does it work?
This action is tagged with one technique in our taxonomy. The tagging is ours: regulators charge statutory provisions, not technique names, so the mapping is an editorial judgement described in our editorial policy.
- Ponzi schemes — see how it works, what statute it engages, and every other action tagged the same way.
Timeline
- 2023-05-17 Litigation release published
Primary documents
Everything on this page derives from the documents below. Where our summary and the primary document disagree, the primary document is right.
Related actions
Other actions in the library sharing at least one technique tag with this one.
| Action | Agency | Filed | Technique | Penalty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC v. Mark D. Hanf and Hoai-Nam Chu Phan (ponzi schemes, 2026) | SEC | 2026-09-04 | Ponzi Schemes | — | settled |
| SEC v. Leor Moshe, Jacob Goldman, Isaac Odes (ponzi schemes, 2026) | SEC | 2026-08-13 | Ponzi Schemes | — | filed |
| CFTC v. Goliath Ventures, Inc. and Christopher Delgado (ponzi schemes, 2026) | CFTC | 2026-08-11 | Ponzi Schemes | — | filed |
| SEC v. Goliath Ventures, Inc. and Christopher A. Delgado (ponzi schemes, 2026) | SEC | 2026-08-11 | Ponzi Schemes | — | filed |
| SEC v. Aras Investment Business Group S.A.P.I. de C.V. and others (ponzi schemes, 2026) | SEC | 2026-07-24 | Ponzi Schemes | $449k | judgment |
| CFTC v. Trevor L. Vernon and Argent Capital Management LLC (ponzi schemes, 2026) | CFTC | 2026-07-07 | Ponzi Schemes | — | filed |