Allegations Against George Hudgins
Allegations Against George Hudgins
v.
alleges as follows:
I. SUMMARY
i. From at least January 2005 to the present ("relevant period"), Defendant George
D. Hudgins dba George D. Hudgins L.L.C. ("Hudgins") fì.audulently solicited members of the
general public to pool together milions of dollars to trade futures contracts ("futures") and
Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA" or "the Act"), as amended, 7 U.S.C. §§ i et seq. (2002), and
thereunder.
Hudgins, as the unregistered commodity pool operator ("CPO") and general paiiner for the pool,
3737 Financial L.P. aka Hudgins Group aka Hudg-Investments ("3737 Financial" or the
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among others:
(a) falsely representing that the commodity pool had a successful track record
trading futues and options since 2000, when, in fact, the commodity pool was not
(b) falsely representing, and grossly infating, the total amount of funds under
and grossly inflating any such profitability, when, in fact, Hudgins' trading in
futues and options resulted in losses exceeding $28 milion since December
2003;
(d) failing to disclose that Hudgins was trading pool paricipant money in his own
personal trading account and not in any trading account opened in the name of the
(t) issuing false statements regarding the purOlied "returs" of the commodity
practices in violation of Sections 4Q(1), 4b(a)(2)(i)-(iii), 4c(b), and 4m(1) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. §§
6Q(1), 6(b)(a)(2)(i)-(iii), 6c(b) and 6m(1), and Regulations 4.4l(a) and 33. 10(a)-(c), 17 C.F.R. §§
brings this action to enjoin Defendant's unlawfl acts and practices and to compel his
compliance with the Act and Regulations. In addition, the Commission seeks civil monetary
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penalties and other equitable relief, including restitution to pool participants, disgorgement of
Defendant's il-gotten gains, a permanent trading ban, and such other relief as the Court may
continue to engage in the ilegal acts and practices alleged in this Complaint, as more fully
described below.
6. The Act establishes a comprehensive system for regulating the purchase and sale
of futures and options. The Court has jurisdiction over this action pursuant to Section 6c of the
Act, 7 U.S.C. § 13a-l, which authorizes the Commission to seek injunctive relief against any
person whenever it shall appear to the Commission that such person has engaged, is engaging, or
is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of any provision of the Act or
7. Venue properly lies with this Cour pursuant to Section 6c( e) of the Act,
7 U.S.C. § 13a-l(e), in that Defendant is found in, inhabits, or transacts business in this District,
and the acts and practices in violation of the Act and Regulations have occured, are occurring, or
III. PARTIES
regulatory agency charged with the administration and enforcement of the CEA, 7 U.S.C. §§ 1 et
Nacogdoches, Texas. Hudgins also does business as "George D. Hudgins LLC," a Texas limited
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liability company, created on November 12,2004 and also located at 3737 Skyline Drive,
Nacogdoches, Texas. Hudgins, individually and dba as George D. Hudgins LLC (the general
parner of 3737 Financial), controls the day-to-day operations of the commodity pool, including
making the commodity pool's trading decisions and opening personal trading accounts at a
registered futures commission merchant ("FCM") for the purpose of trading on behalf of the
commodity pool. Hudgins has never been registered with the Commission as a CPO or in any
other capacity.
as any investment trust, syndicate or similar forni of enterprise operated for the purose of
11. A "commodity pool operator" is defined in Section la(5) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. §
1 (a)( 5), as any person engaged in a business that is of the nature of an investment trust,
syndicate, or similar form of enterprise, and who, in connection therewith, solicits, accepts or
receives from others, funds, securities, or property, either directly or through capital
contributions, the sale of stock or other forms of securties or otherwise, for the purose of
trading in any commodity for future delivery on or subject to the rules of any contract market or
v. FACTS
12. 3737 Financial is a Texas limited partnership created on November 12, 2004 and
located at 3737 Skyline Drive, Nacogdoches, Texas. Hudgins receives, accepts and pools funds
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from members of the public to trade futures and options through 3737 FinanciaL. Hudgins is the
13. Rather than opening a commodity trading account with a FCM in the name ofthe
commodity pool-- here, 3737 Financial-- Hudgins opened multiple trading accounts in his own
name and traded the fuds invested in 3737 Financial in these accounts.
"00") in the name "George D. Hudgins," at Rosenthal Collins Group L.L.C. ("RCG"), a
registered FCM. Through Account "00," Hudgins traded futures and options, including contracts
15. Thereafter, from 2005 to 2007, Hudgins opened a total of six additional trading
accounts with RCG in the name "George D. Hudgins" (hereinafter, Accounts "01," "02," "03,"
(a) Account "01" was opened in November 2005. Through that Account,
Hudgins traded futues and options, including contracts for T - Bonds, silver,
(b) Accounts "02" and "03" were opened in January 2006. Hudgins did no
trading in Account "02". Through Account "03", Hudgins traded futures and
(c) Account "04" was opened in September 2006. Through that Account,
(d) Account "OS" was opened in September 2007. Through that Account,
Hudgins traded futures, including contracts for crude oil, cotton, the S&P 500
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(e) Account "06" was opened in July, 2004. Through that Account, Hudgins
traded futures, including contracts for crude oil, NASDAQ index and S&P 500
index.
January 2005, Hudgins began operating, and soliciting the public to invest, or remain invested, in
the commodity pool; i.e., he solicits individual paiiicipants to write checks to 3737 Financial,
tells them that their money will be pooled with funds from other pool participants and that
Hudgins will use the money to trade futures and options contracts on behalf of all pool
17. Pool paricipants' checks are deposited in 3737 Financial's bank account at
some or all of pool participants' fuds from 3737 Financial's bank account into a different bank
account in the name of George D. Hudgins located at BancorpSouth in Nacogdoches, Texas, and,
subsequently, wires some or all of pool participants' funds from that bank account at
BancorpSouth to his personal trading accounts at RCG located in Chicago, Ilinois, through
18. Contemporaneously with investing in the commodity pool, pool participants enter
into a one page agreement with 3737 Financial "for the purpose oftrading S&P (500) futue(s)
and other investments as George D. Hudgins, General Partner, sees fit." The one page agreement
also provides "Hudgins will trade for (investor's name) benefit as a partner, and profits will by
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19. Since as early as January 2005, Hudgins solicited pool paiiicipants and
prospective pool participants to invest, or remain invested, in the commodity pool through
and omissions to induce pool participants and prospective participants, to invest, or remain
invested in the fund, including false representations about the length of time the pool had been in
existence, the historical profitability of the pool, and the size of the commodity pool's assets.
20. For example, in January 2005, Hudgins created and provided to at least one pool
Market," which discussed, among other things, the purported historical performance of the
commodity pooL. In the promotional packet, Hudgins stated that the commodity pool had gross
returns of:
(a) 3737 Financial did not exist until November 2004, and thus the commodity
pool had no "returns" during the time period 2000 to October, 2004; and
(b) for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005, RCG trading account records in the name
of George D. Hudgins show that, rather than having the net returns claimed, the
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trading accounts suffered losses in: December 2003 of $42,256.26; the full 2004
22. Hudgins further represented in the promotional packet that 3737 Financial invests
in S&P 500 futures, currencies, U.S. treasury bonds, gold and silver and, as of January 2005, had
an investment pOlifolio of approximately $23 Milion. In fact, as of January 2005, the only
accounts in existence at RCG in the name "George D. Hudgins" -- Account "00" and Account
23. Hudgins made these representations regarding the commodity pool in the
promotional packet knowing them to be false or with reckless disregard as to their truth.
(ii). Newsletters
24. Hudgins created and provided to pool participants and prospective pool
participants monthly and quaiierly newsletters entitled "The Hudg-Report" that discussed the
purorted historical performance of the commodity pool. In particular in the February 2005,
February 2006 and Fouiih Quarter 2006 Hudg-Reports, Hudgins represented, among other
25. Similar to the retus listed in the promotional packet, these representations were
false and misleading. RCG trading account records in the name George D. Hudgins show a loss
in January 2005 of$14l,780.5l, a loss in January 2006 of$66l,977.7l and a loss in Fourth
26. Hudgins made these representations regarding the commodity pool in the
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27. In January, 2007 Hudgins made a presentation during an annual meeting of pool
participants and prospective pool participants in Nacogdoches, Texas (the "January 2007
presentation"). During the presentation, Hudgins made, among others, the following material
(a) Hudgins represented that the commodity pool had a net profit of99% for
2000,54.96% for 2001,57.12% for 2002, 45.86% for 2003 and 46.79% for 2004.
These representations are false and misleading for the reasons set forth in
paragraph 21, above. Additionally, Hudgins represented that the commodity pool
had profits of 52.33% for 2005 and 22.5% for 2006. These representations are
false because in 2005 and 2006 the RCG trading accounts suffered losses of
(b) Hudgins represented that the commodity pool, and his trading on behalf of the
commodity pool, did not need to be regulated, but failed to disclose that in fact
the operation of commodity pools is regulated by the Commission and that he was
(c) Hudgins represented that the commodity pool's trading account was at RCG,
but failed to disclose that no 3737 Financial account existed at RCG and that the
investment pOlifolio of approximately $80 Milion and that there were about 100
pool participants. In fact, at that time, the net value of Hudgins' trading accounts
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28. Hudgins made these representations regarding the commodity pool during the
29. In or about January 2008, one prospective pool participant learned about-Hudgins
and the commodity pool through several pool participants. The prospective pool participant
reviewed the Hudg-Report newsletters dated February 2005, February 2006, Second Quarter
2006, Third Quaiier 2006 and Fourth Quarter 2006 as well as the January 2005 promotional
packet that discussed, among other things, the purportedly large returs on investments in the
commodity pooL.
30. This prospective pool participant also learned that Hudgins had a DVD recording
of the January 2007 presentation, to pool paiiicipants and prospective pool participants.
31. The prospective pool participant requested via telephone and obtained via the
U.S. mail a copy of the DVD. After reviewing it, the prospective pool participant and two other
prospective pool participants met with Hudgins in early February 2008 (the "February 2008
meeting") in his office located at 3737 Skyline Drive, Nacogdoches, Texas, the same address as
32. At this meeting, Hudgins told the three prospective pool participants that he trades
in futures, including futures on crude oil, gold, cunency, pork bellies and grain, and that since
2000, the commodity pool had made a profit each year. In particular, Hudgins stated that in
2007, the commodity pool made a net profit of 57%, that there were at least 200 individuals
invested in the commodity pool, and that while several of these investors had hundreds of
thousands of dollars invested in 3737 Financial, others had milions of dollars invested.
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33. Hudgins also represented duiing the February 2008 meeting that 3737 Financial
had a present value of approximately $200 Million, that half of that consisted of Hudgins'
personal money and that all trades for the commodity pool were cleared through RCG. He
represented further that in January 2007 the pool had a value of$100 Milion.
34. Hudgins told the three prospective pool pai1icipants that he required each to invest
a minimum of$lOO,OOO in the commodity pooL. Hudgins also stated that his operating fee was
35. Hudgins informed the three prospective pool participants that because 3737
Financial was now worth $200 Millon it was getting too big to handle. As such he was "fixing
to shut this thing down," "stop taking anymore money," and even "start paying out some of the
36. During the meeting, two of the prospective pool participants each wrote a check
payable to 3737 Financial in the amount of$100,000. Hudgins, as general partner of3737
Financial, then executed separate one page agreements with each of the investors acknowledging
receipt ofthe $100,000 and agreeing to split the profits with 80% going to the pool participants
and 20% going to Hudgins. At least one ofthe checks was subsequently deposited in the account
37. Similar to the representations Hudgins made in the promotional packet, the
newsletters and during the January 2007 presentation, the representations made at the February
2008 meeting were false and misleading. In particular, rather than making a profit of 57% for
2007, RCG trading account records in the name George D. Hudgins show that the commodity
pool suffered a loss in 2007 of $5,077,748.50. Further, as of January 31, 2008, the total net value
of the investments in the RCG accounts in the name George. D. Hudgins was $4,498,850.45
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rather than the approximately $200 Millon that Hudgins represented at the February 2008
meeting.
38. Hudgins made these representations regarding the commodity pool in the
February 2008 meeting knowing them to be false or with reckless disregard as to their truth.
39. As of January 31, 2007, the total net value of the investments in RCG accounts in
the name George D. Hudgins was negative $100,199.38; i.e., the accounts were operating at a
loss. This is in stark contrast to Hudgins' representation at the January 2007 presentation to pool
participants and prospective pool participants that the commodity pool contained, at that time,
approximately $80 Milion, and the February 2008 meeting in which Hudgins represented the
value ofthe èommodity pool to have been $100 milion in Januaiy 2007.
40. As of January 31, 2008, the total net value of the investments in the RCG
accounts in the name George D. Hudgins was $4,498,850.45. This is instark contrast to
Hudgins' representation at the February 2008 meeting that the commodity pool contained
41. The relationship between what Hudgins told pool participants and prospective
pool participants in his varied solicitations and actual RCG trading account values is detailed in
Misrepresentations as to
profit as a percent
2000 99% 3737 Financial did not exist
2001 55% 3737 Financial did not exist
2002 57% 3737 Financial did not exist
2003 46% 3737 Financial did not exist; however,
losses suffered in the RCG accounts in
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42. While on April 30, 2008, the RCG accounts in the name of George D. Hudgins
show a net liquidating value of$8,197,044.94, in actuality Hudgins has lost a total of
$28,966,527.71 in the RCG accounts from December 2003 through April 2008 trading futures
and options.
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COUNT ONE
44. Section 4Q(1) of the Act, 7 V.S.C. § 6Q(1), prohibits CPOs from using the mails or
(1) Employs any device, scheme or artifice to defraud any pai1icipant or client or
prospective participant or client; or
46. During the relevant period, Hudgins acted as a CPO by soliciting, accepting or
receiving funds from others and engaging in a business that is of the natue of an investment
trust, syndicate, or similar form of enterprise, for the purose of trading in futures and options on
futures.
47. As set out in paragraphs 1 through 42, during the relevant period, Hudgins
employed a device, scheme or artifice to defraud pool pai1icipants and prospective pool
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deceit upon commodity futures and options pool participants and prospective commodity futures
and options pool participants in violation of Section 4Q(1) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6Q(1) and
Regulation 4.41
(a), 17 C.F.R. § 4.41.(a).
cheat, defraud, or deceive, including but not limited to those specifically alleged herein, is
alleged as a separate and distinct violation of Section 4Q(1) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6Q(1), and
Regulation 4.41
(a), 17 C.F.R. § 4.41(a).
COUNT TWO
51. As set out in paragraphs 1 through 42, during the relevant period, Hudgins
cheated or defrauded or attempted to cheat or defraud, wilfully made or caused to be made false
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reports about the purorted profitability of 3737 Financial in monthly or quarterly newsletters
and other promotional material, and willfully deceived or attempted to deceive pool participants
and prospective pool participants by making misrepresentations of material facts, and omitting
cheat, defraud, or deceive, including but not limited to those specifically alleged herein, is
alleged as a separate and distinct violation of Section 4b(a)(2)(i)-(iii) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. §
6b( a)(2)(i)-(iii).
COUNT THREE
54. Section 4c(b) ofthe Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6c(b), makes it unlawfl to offer to enter into,
enter into, or confirm the execution of, any transaction involving any commodity regulated under
b , "", ,
the Act which is of
"privileae " "indemnity" "bid" "offer" "put" "call" "advance guaranty" or "decline
guaranty," contrary to any rule, regulation, or order of the Commission prohibiting any such
transaction or allowing any such transaction under such terms and conditions as the Commission
shall prescribe.
person, directly or indirectly, (a) to cheat or defraud or attempt to cheat or defraud any person;
(b) to make or cause to be made any false report or statement, or (c) to deceive or attempt to
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deceive any other person by any means whatsoever, in or in connection with an offer to enter
into, the entry into, or the confirmation of the execution of, any commodity option transaction.
, 56. As set out in paragraphs 1 through 42, duiing the relevant period, Hudgins
violated Section 4c(b) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6c(b), and Sections 33.10(a)-(c) of the Regulations,
17 C.F.R. §§ 33.10(a)-(c), in that, in connection with offers to enter into, the entry of, or the
confirmation of the execution of, commodity options transactions, Hudgins cheated, defrauded,
or deceived, or attempted to cheat, defraud or deceive, other persons, by making false, deceptive
or misleading representations of material facts and by failing to disclose material facts, and by
making or caused to be made false reports about the purported profitability of3737 Financial in
cheat, defraud, or deceive, including but not limited to those specifically alleged herein, is
alleged as a separate and distinct violation of Section 4c(b) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6c(b), and
COUNT FOUR
59. Section 4m(1) of the Act, 7 U.S.C § 6m(1), provides that it is unlawful for any
CPO, unless registered under the Act, to make use of the mails or any means or instrumentality
60. As set out in paragraphs 17 and 31, during the relevant period, Hudgins has used
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as a CPO while failing to register as a CPO, in violation of Section 4m(1) ofthe Act, 7 U.S.C. §
6m(1).
61. Hudgins does not qualify for a registration exemption under either the Act or
Regulations.
VII. RELIEF
WHEREFORE, the Commission respectfully requests that the Court, as authorized by
Section 6c of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 13a-l, and pursuant to its own equitable powers, enter:
(a) an order finding that Defendant violated Sections 40(1), 4b(a)(2)(i)-(iii), 4c(b) and
4m(1) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. §§ 60(1), 6b(a)(2)(i)-(iii), 6c(b) and 6m(1) and Regulations 4.41
(a)
(b) an order of permanent injunction prohibiting Defendant, and any other person or
entity associated with him, including any successor thereof, from engaging in conduct violative
of the sections of the Act and Regulations that he has been alleged to violate;
or indirectly, in any activity related to trading in any commodity, as that term is defined in
Section la(4) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § la(4) (commodity interest), including but not limited to, the
following:
interest account for or on behalf of any other person or entity, whether by power of attorney or
otheiwise;
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3. soliciting or accepting any funds from any person in connection with the
4. entering into any commodity interest transactions for his own personal
account, for any account in which he has a direct or indirect interest and/or having any
exemption from registration with the Commission in any capacity, and engaging in any activity
requiring such registration or exemption from registration with the Commission, except as
provided for in Regulation 4.14 (a)(9), 17 C.F.R. § 4.l4(a)(9), or acting as a principal, agent or
any other officer or employee of any person registered, exempted from registration or required to
be registered with the Commission, except as provided for in Regulation 4.14 (a)(9), 17 C.F.R. §
4. 14(a)(9);
(e) an order directing Defendant, as well as any other person or entity associated with
him, including any successor thereof, to disgorge, pursuant to such procedure as the Coui1 may
order, all benefits received from the acts or practices which constitute violations of the Act or
Regulations, as described herein, and interest thereof from the date of such violations;
(t) an order directing Defendant, as well as any other person or entity associated with
him, including any successor thereof, to make full restitution, pursuant to such procedure as the
Cour may order, to every pool participant whose fuds were received by them as a result of acts
and practices which constitute violations of the Act and Regulations, as described herein, and
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(g) an order imposing upon Defendant a civil penalty pursuant to § 6c(d)(1), 7 U.S.C.
(h) an order for such other and fui1her remedial ancilar relief as the Cour may deem
appropriate.
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