Share this article
U.S. SEC Sues Richard Heart, Hex, PulseChain on Unregistered Securities, Fraud Allegations
Heart raised over $1 billion across three different unregistered securities offerings, the SEC alleged.
By Nikhilesh De
Updated Aug 1, 2023, 7:27 p.m. Published Jul 31, 2023, 2:44 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued internet marketer Richard Schueler, known online as Richard Heart, and his projects Hex, PulseChain and PulseX, alleging he raised over $1 billion across three different unregistered securities offerings beginning in 2019.
Heart also defrauded his investors, the SEC alleged in a lawsuit on Monday, by using investor funds for personal goods.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
"Heart continually touted these investments as a pathway to grandiose wealth for investors, claiming that Hex, for example, 'was built to be the highest appreciating asset that has ever existed in the history of man,'" the lawsuit said. "... Although Heart claimed these investments were for the vague purpose of supporting free speech, he did not disclose that he used millions of dollars of PulseChain investor funds to buy luxury goods for himself."
PulseX and PulseChain launched earlier this month, but faced rocky starts in the weeks immediately after going live, seeing high fees, liquidity issues and exploitable bugs. The prices of the HEX, PLS and PLSX tokens fell post-launch.
Read more: The PulseChain Sideshow Tent Is Collapsing
Heart made frequent references to federal securities laws, the SEC further alleged, citing his YouTube livestreams and other public statements. However, the suit said, Heart had himself admitted that "the success of these endeavors were completely dependent on his efforts."
"Heart pumped Hex’s capacity for investment gain, claiming at Hex.com (until at least November 1, 2020) that, 'Hex is designed to surpass ETH, which did 10,000x price in 2.5 years. It’s working! So far, HEX’s USD price went up 115x in 129 days,'" the suit said. 'On December 2, 2019, during a seven-hour livestream on YouTube hours before the Hex Offering commenced, Heart stated that Hex “was built to outperform Ethereum and Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies.'"
The suit charges Heart and the projects with fraud and securities registration violations.
Heart could not immediately be reached for comment. SEC Fort Worth Regional Office Director Eric Werner said in a statement that the suit "seeks to protect the investing public and hold Heart accountable for his actions."
UPDATE (July 31, 2023, 14:55 UTC): Adds additional detail.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Ukraine banned Polymarket and there’s no legal way for it to come back
Polymarket and similar platforms are considered unlicensed gambling operators, leading to blocked access.
What to know:
- Ukraine has no legal framework for Web3 prediction markets, and current legislation provides no recognition for such platforms.
- Polymarket and similar platforms are considered unlicensed gambling operators, leading to blocked access.
- Legal changes are unlikely in the near future, as Parliamentary revisions to gambling definitions are extremely improbable during wartime, leaving prediction markets in a legal deadlock.
Top Stories
