The SEC alleges that Jeffrey Goldman of West Bloomfield, Michigan, and Christopher Eikenberry of Birmingham, Michigan, participated in and profited from the scheme. The two men allegedly bilked Nonko’s customers out of approximately $1.4 million.

Nonko marketed itself as a state-of-the-art platform for day-trading professionals. However, the SEC complaint alleges that Nonko only provided customers with training accounts that simulated actual trading.

In reality, they say Nonko team members pocketed customers’ deposits. They then used the money for personal expenses and for Ponzi-like payments to customers who wanted to close their accounts.

According to the complaint, Nonko purposely targeted inexperienced traders and those with a history of trading losses. The proverbial “hook” used by Nonko offered liberal trading leverage, low trading commissions and low minimum deposit requirements.

Fake Accounts Scheme

“As alleged in our complaint, Goldman and Eikenberry actively concealed their involvement in the alleged fraud and took steps to evade U.S. broker-dealer registration requirements,” said Joseph G. Sansone, chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Market Abuse Unit. “But, behind the scenes, they were active and knowing participants in the scheme, which caused losses to more than 260 investors.”