Billionaire Founder of HEX and PulseChain Richard Heart Sued by SEC for Securities Fraud
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken legal action against prominent internet marketer and crypto advocate Richard Heart.
Heart, whose real name is Richard Schueler, is accused of raising more than $1 billion through unregistered securities offerings and defrauding investors.
Heart is known for his projects Hex, PulseChain, and PulseX and has also been accused by the SEC of using investor funds for personal purchases.
Hex is an ERC-20 token marketed as the first blockchain certificate of deposit, PulseChain is a layer-1 blockchain and PulseX is a PulseChain-based decentralized exchange (DEX).
According to the SEC’s lawsuit, Heart positioned these investments as a pathway to “grandiose wealth”, with the added promise that Hex would be “the highest appreciating asset that has ever existed in the history of man”.
Heart also allegedly admitted that the success of these ventures was entirely dependent on his efforts.
When determining whether an asset is a security or not, the SEC often refers to the howey test, which states that an investment contract (security) exists if there is an “investment of money in a common enterprise with a reasonable expectation of profits to be derived from the efforts of others”.
As per the SEC’s lawsuit, Heart misappropriated at least $12.1 million of PulseChain investor funds for personal luxury purchases.
These alleged indulgences include a 555-carat black diamond, multiple high-end automobiles, and an array of expensive watches.
According to the lawsuit, Heart violated federal securities laws by using funds intended for project development on his personal expenditures.
The SEC is seeking permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, and
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