SEC v. Tyler Ward and Troy Murray (unregistered distributions, 2023)

Settled

✓ Checked against the primary document on October 2, 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.

Report an error in this record (sec-tyler-ward-and-troy-murray-unregistered-distributions-2023) by email

In December 2023 the SEC settled an administrative order against Tyler Ward and Troy Murray for the unregistered sale of $509 million of BarnBridge SMART Yield bonds, with a $125,000 penalty each.

The record

What was ordered

Civil penalty

$250k

Disgorgement

—

Prejudgment interest

—

Total relief

$250k

Alleged gain

—

A dash means the release did not state a figure we could extract, not that the figure is zero. Penalty and disgorgement are stored separately so aggregates across the library do not double-count the same dollars.

What is alleged to have happened

On December 22, 2023 the SEC accepted settlements with Tyler Ward and Troy Murray, who developed BarnBridge. The order finds that they and the BarnBridge DAO offered and sold SMART Yield crypto bonds that attracted over $509 million with no registration statement, violating Securities Act Sections 5(a) and 5(c). Each is ordered to pay a $125,000 penalty, $250,000 in all. The record previously showed the respondents as one name and one penalty.

This library tags the matter as unregistered distributions, based on the conduct the document describes. The tagging is ours, not the regulator's: agencies charge statutory provisions, not technique names.

For the regulator's own account of the facts, read the primary document linked above. This page deliberately summarises the structured record rather than reproducing the release.

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.

• Unregistered distributions — see how it works, what statute it engages, and every other action tagged the same way.

Timeline

1. 2023-12-22 Administrative proceeding instituted (cease-and-desist)

Primary documents

Everything on this page derives from the documents below. Where our summary and the primary document disagree, the primary document is right.

• SEC order

The linked release is a work of the United States government and is not subject to copyright. Our summary and narrative above are our own writing.

Related actions

Other actions in the library sharing at least one technique tag with this one.

Record added September 10, 2026. submit a correction.