Donald Watkins and his Companies Charged with Defrauding Investors

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Alabama attorney Donald Watkins and companies he controls with defrauding professional athletes and other investors out of millions of dollars, much of which he spent on his girlfriend and to cover personal expenses like alimony, past due taxes and credit card bills.

The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal district court in Atlanta, alleges that Watkins and his companies, Watkins Pencor LLC and Masada Resource Group LLC falsely told investors that their funds would be used to support waste-to-energy ventures.

The complaint further alleges that the defendants falsely claimed that Waste Management Inc., a large, international waste treatment company, was seriously considering acquiring Watkins Pencor, Masada, and its affiliated companies in a multi-billion-dollar transaction. According to the complaint, Waste Management’s “interest” in Masada never advanced past a brief initial meeting in August 2012, more than a year after the defendants began telling investors that negotiations were progressing and that the acquisition was imminent.

The SEC charges the defendants with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and a related SEC antifraud rule. The SEC’s complaint seeks permanent injunctions, penalties and return of allegedly ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest. The SEC’s complaint alleges that Watkins’ law firm, Donald V. Watkins, P.C., received investor monies and charged the firm as a relief defendant for purposes of recovering the allegedly ill-gotten gains it received.

For further information about this securities law blog post, please contact Brenda Hamilton, Securities Attorney at 101 Plaza Real S, Suite 202 N, Boca Raton, Florida, (561) 416-8956, by email at [email protected] or visit www.securitieslawyer101.com.   This securities law blog post is provided as a general informational service to clients and friends of Hamilton & Associates Law Group and should not be construed as, and does not constitute, legal and compliance advice on any specific matter, nor does this message create an attorney-client relationship. Please note that the prior results discussed herein do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Hamilton & Associates | Securities Lawyers
Brenda Hamilton, Securities Attorney
101 Plaza Real South, Suite 202 North
Boca Raton, Florida 33432
Telephone: (561) 416-8956
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www.SecuritiesLawyer101.com