The Securities & Exchange Commission today charged Oregon residents Robert D. Christensen & Anthony M. Matic, as well as several companies they controlled, with conducting a multi-year Ponzi-like scheme & misleading investors who purchased more than $10 million in promissory notes. 

According to the SEC’s complaint, from at least January 2018 through September 2022, Christensen & Matic used four entities that they founded – Foresee Inc., The Commission PDX LLC, The Policy PDX LLC, & Innings 150 LLC – to raise money from retail investors, including several retirees, for the purported purpose of investing in real estate. Christensen & Matic allegedly raised this money through the offer & sale of unregistered promissory notes, which promised high interest rates between nine & 15 percent to be paid to investors, in addition to the return of all principal, within just a few months. In reality, the complaint alleges, Christensen & Matic did not have the ability to pay investors the promised returns within the time periods identified in the notes; instead, they relied on new investor money to pay earlier investors. Additionally, Christensen & Matic allegedly used investor money for unauthorized & undisclosed purposes, including to pay for at least one vacation, gifts, casino trips, massages, personal expenses, a whiskey club membership, & cryotherapy.

“As we allege in our complaint, Christensen & Matic promised high interest payments & quick returns to convince investors to participate in their scheme, when in reality they did not have the ability to make the promised payments & spent significant amounts of investor funds on personal entertainment & expenses,” said Monique C. Winkler, Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “The SEC is committed to rooting out & stopping offering frauds targeting investors’ hard earned money.”

The SEC’s complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, charges Christensen & Matic & their four related entities with violating the antifraud & securities registration provisions of the federal securities laws. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, Christensen, Matic, & the charged entities agreed to settle with the SEC & to the entry of final judgments imposing requested permanent & conduct-based injunctions as well as $5,374,482 in disgorgement & prejudgment interest. Christensen & Matic further agreed to each pay a $200,000 penalty as well as to the imposition of permanent officer & director bars. The settlements are subject to court approval.

To learn more about Ponzi schemes & promissory note fraud, please visit the SEC’s website at https://www.investor.gov/protect-your-investments/fraud/types-fraud & https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/promise.htm.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Steven Varholik & Michael Foley, with the assistance of Marc Katz & Bernard Smyth, of the San Francisco Regional Office. The investigation was supervised by Jason H. Lee & David Zhou.