Share this article

SEC Brings Enforcement Action Against Alleged $6.9M Ponzi Scheme

Shawn Cutting allegedly claimed to be an experienced financial adviser to raise funds from over 450 investors.

Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:24 p.m. Published Mar 11, 2021, 5:16 p.m.
Securities and Exchange Commission building in Washington, D.C.
Securities and Exchange Commission building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought emergency enforcement action against an Idaho man who allegedly raised $6.9 million for a fraudulent digital asset investment pool.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

  • According to a document filed March 5, since October 2017 defendant Shawn Cutting represented himself as an experienced financial adviser to raise funds from over 450 investors.
  • Having no such experience, in fact, Cutting used the $6.9 million to purchase cars, improve his home and pay for his daughter's wedding.
  • He also paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in "Ponzi-like payments" while communicating false updates to investors, often describing gains of over 50% in a single month.
  • Since February 2020, Cutting has been ignoring investors' requests to withdraw their funds.
  • In December 2020, he also defied an SEC bid to access his record, arguing his right to financial privacy.
  • Along with Cutting's wife Janine, a stream of different companies including Crypto Traders Management and Golden Cross Investments are listed as relief defendants by the SEC.

See also: Self-Help Firm That Mostly Took Bitcoin as Payment Mostly Just Helped Itself, SEC Charges

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

These Three Metrics Show Bitcoin Found Strong Support Near $80,000

True Market Mean (Glassnode)

Onchain data shows multiple cost basis metrics confirm heavy demand and investor conviction around the $80,000 price level.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin rebounded from the $80,000 region after a sharp correction from its October all time high, with price holding above the average entry levels of key metrics.
  • The convergence of the True Market Mean, U.S. ETF cost basis, and the 2024 yearly cost basis around the low $80,000 range highlights this zone as a major area of structural support.