Pyramid Schemer Sanderly Rodrigues Incarcerated for Violation of Court Order

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Sanderley Rodrigues de Vasconcelos (“Rodrigues”) of Davenport, Florida, who is charged with promoting a pyramid scheme, was ordered to jail for civil contempt arising from his repeated violations of Court orders obtained by the SEC in its civil action filed in 2014 against Rodrigues.

On April 15, 2014, the SEC filed an emergency civil action against TelexFree, Inc., Rodrigues and several other defendants and obtained from the U.S. District Court in Boston certain preliminary relief, including an order for an asset freeze for Rodrigues. On June 10, 2015, Rodrigues consented to a Court order requiring him to provide an accounting listing all assets and transactions over $500. On August 12, 2015, the SEC asked the Court to hold Rodrigues in contempt, alleging that Rodrigues had transferred or disposed of assets and had failed to provide the Court-ordered accounting. On December 18, 2015, the judge in the SEC’s civil case held Rodrigues in contempt for violating the terms of the Court’s orders by: 1) transferring $233,473 out of his bank accounts; 2) selling a Mercedes Benz CLS; 3) selling a Ferrari F340; 4) transferring three Florida condominiums; and 4) failing to provide the Court-ordered accounting. The Court ordered Rodrigues to return all assets that he had transferred or disposed of in violation of the asset freeze, with a deadline of January 15, 2016. The Court further warned Rodrigues that, if he failed to do so, he would be incarcerated for the contempt. On January 15, 2016, the SEC notified the Court that Rodrigues had failed to comply with the December 18, 2015 order. On January 15, 2016, the Court ordered Rodrigues held in jail until such time as he complies with the Court’s December 18, 2015, order.

In related proceedings, on November 25, 2015, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Massachusetts ordered that the debtors in the TelexFree bankruptcy proceeding operated a Ponzi and pyramid scheme and are jointly and severally liable for the claims of victims.

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 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
Telephone: (561) 416-8956
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