Important Case Update
On October 6, 2023, the Utah District Court dissolved the temporary restraining order, which effectively concludes the temporary receivership, subject to a brief transition period that will involve Defendants' counsel. Accordingly, we will no longer be processing any submissions at this time, and the receivership's email inbox will no longer be actively monitored; instead, our efforts will be focused on winding down the receivership pursuant to the Court's order. Please continue to check our website for forthcoming updates about this transition process. The Court's October 6 Order is displayed below for your reference:
Minute Order for proceedings held before Judge Robert J. Shelby: Motion Hearing held via Zoom on 10/6/2023 re: Motions to Dissolve, docket entry 132, docket entry 145, docket entry 159. For the reasons stated on the record, the Motions to Dissolve docket entry 132, docket entry 145 and docket entry 159 are GRANTED. Docket entry 132 Motion to Appoint a new Receiver is DENIED as moot. The court will issue a written Memorandum Decision and Order more fully explaining its reasoning. The Temporary Restraining Order, docket entry 165 is dissolved. Because there is no Temporary Restraining Order in place, the court concludes the Receivership should not continue beyond a transition period. Accordingly, the following Motions are DENIED as moot: SECs Motion to Clarify Receivership Order, docket entry 125, Receivers Motion to Clarify Receivership Order docket entry 144, and Receivers Motion for Contempt and Sanctions docket entry 138. The court orders Mr. Gottlieb to meet and confer with other Defense counsel to coordinate a transition plan. Mr. Gottlieb should serve that plan on the Receiver, and there will be a 48-hour meet-and-confer period. That period may be shorter if the parties do not require the full 48 hours. Twenty-four hours (or less) after the meet-and-confer period, the parties should file either a Joint Status Report or Individual Status Reports updating the court on the transition plan. Parties may request relief from the court if necessary and as issues arise. SECs response time for Motions filed today is stayed for seven days. The time for Defendants to file an Answer or otherwise respond to the Complaint is extended to and including October 13, 2023. (Entered: 10/06/2023)
Welcome to the DEBT Box Receiver Website
On July 28, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filed a complaint against Digital Licensing Inc.'s (d/b/a "DEBT Box") and several of its principals, agents, and promoters (the "Defendants") in the United States District Court of Utah, S.E.C. v. DIGITAL LICENSING INC. (d/b/a "DEBT Box"), et al., Case No. 2:23-cv-00482-RJS.
Per the SEC's complaint,
This Commission enforcement action concerns an ongoing, sprawling, fraudulent securities offering through which Defendants have defrauded thousands of investors of at least $49 million.
Beginning in at least March 2021, and continuing through the present, Defendants have unlawfully promoted Defendant Digital Licensing Inc.'s (d/b/a "DEBT Box") unregistered, fraudulent offering of so-called "node software licenses," which, as alleged herein, are investment contracts and, accordingly, securities pursuant to federal law. Among other things, Defendants, through YouTube videos, websites, social media posts, and at live investor events, have promised investors that these "node software licenses" would allow investors to "mine" at least eleven separate crypto assets, and that those crypto assets, in turn, were supported by "real projects tied to real assets." Defendants have represented that the value of each crypto asset is tied to profits generated by various underlying businesses performing, inter alia, gold mining, oil drilling, satellite scanning, beverage sales, and other so-called "commodity projects."
These representations are false. In reality, the eleven digital asset tokens purportedly being "mined" by the node software licenses cannot be mined and never were mined. Moreover, the "real projects" and "real assets" Defendants tout as supporting the value of these tokens are a sham. The Commission brings this action to halt Defendant's ongoing violations of the federal securities laws, prevent further harm to investors, and to seek disgorgement and civil penalties stemming from Defendants' wrongdoing, among other remedies.
The full SEC press release and Complaint are available at the forgoing links.
On July 28, 2023, the United States District Court of Utah appointed Josias N. Dewey of the law firm Holland & Knight LLP as Temporary Receiver over DEBT Box with powers to, among other things, marshal all assets of the company, assume full control of the company, and conduct an investigation to locate and account for all of the assets of or managed by the company. To aid the Receiver’s investigation, the Receiver requests that you download this form and email it to debtboxreceiver@hklaw.com.
The Receiver's primary job is to recover money and assets for the benefit of defrauded investors.
Our investigation is in the early stages, and we ask for patience as the Receiver and his team complete their initial assessment and secure the receivership assets.
This website will serve as a source of information on the Receiver's progress and to provide information to harmed investors. We will post additional information as it becomes available as well as create a form to file a claim.
A dedicated phone line 305-349-2134 and email address debtboxreceiver@hklaw.com have been set up to contact the Receiver's team.
Case and Investigation Updates
September 13, 2023:
The Receiver filed a status report with the Court summarizing his investigation and discoveries to date. For additional information, please review the Receiver’s First Status Report.