Judgment Entered in Safety Technologies Unregistered Securities Offering

On April 4, 2017,  a final judgment was entered against Safety Technologies LLC (“Safety Technologies”) and Thomas Connerton for defrauding investors by misleading them to invest in a purported glove manufacturing company and then diverting their money for Connerton’s personal use. Connerton’s victims include several women he met through an online dating website and their friends and family.

The SEC’s complaint against Thomas Connerton and Safety Technologies, filed on June 8, 2016, alleged that Connerton told investors that his company was developing a material to make surgical gloves better resistant to cuts or punctures. Connerton claimed that several major glove manufacturers wanted the technology and Safety Technologies was on the brink of imminent deals that would result in large payouts for investors in his company. But, the SEC alleged, no deals were ever anywhere close to materializing, and Connerton emptied the company’s bank account by writing a series of checks to himself and using investor funds for his own expenses. According to court documents filed by the SEC, among Connerton’s improper spending of investor funds was $20,000 for an engagement ring for his latest online date turned investor. On June 9, 2016, the SEC obtained an asset freeze against Thomas Connerton and, on September 12, 2016, the court issued an order continuing the asset freeze and imposing a preliminary injunction.

Thomas Connerton and Safety Technologies consented to entry of the judgment. The judgment enjoins both parties from violating Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; requires them jointly and severally to disgorge ill-gotten gains of $1,586,000, plus prejudgment interest in the amount of $146,978.88; and imposes a conduct-based injunction that permanently restrains and enjoins Connerton and Safety Technologies from directly or indirectly participating in the issuance, purchase, offer, or sale of any security. The judgment also requires Connerton to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $160,000.

In a parallel criminal proceeding, Connerton and his fiancé, Jean Erickson, were indicted on March 7, 2017, on multiple counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, money laundering conspiracy, and with making a false statement to a federal agent. The criminal charges against Connerton and Erickson arise from the same conduct alleged in the SEC’s complaint. The indictment also alleges that Connerton and Erickson tried to conceal the nature and source of funds received from the fraudulent sale of Safety Technologies securities in an attempt to prevent the authorities and regulators, including the FBI and the SEC, from locating the funds. The criminal case remains pending before the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

For further information about this article, please contact Brenda Hamilton, Securities Attorney at 101 Plaza Real S, Suite 202N, Boca Raton, Florida, (561) 416-8956, [email protected] or visit www.securitieslawyer101.com. This  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
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Boca Raton, Florida 33432
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www.SecuritiesLawyer101.com