“The defendants used social media to amass a large following of novice investors and then took advantage of their followers by repeatedly feeding them a steady diet of misinformation,” said the SEC’s Joseph Sansone, chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Market Abuse Unit.Named in the SEC’s complaint were Perry Matlock (@PJ_Matlock), John Rybarcyzk (@Ultra_Calls) and Edward Constantin (@MrZackMorris) of Texas; Thomas Cooperman (@ohheytommy) and Gary Deel (@notoriousalerts) of California; Mitchell Hennessey (@Hugh_Henne) of New Jersey; and Stefan Hrvatin (@LadeBackk) of Florida.The Justice Department said the defendants showcased their “extravagant lifestyles” to fool others into thinking they were skilled stock traders.In 2018, the SEC settled charges against professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and music producer DJ Khaled for failing to disclose payments they received for promoting investments in a digital currency.Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter examines how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of today’s executives."