A B.C. man is accused of raising nearly half a million dollars from investors for day trading, but instead, spending some of the cash on his own bills, retail purchases and paying back other investors.
The B.C. Securities Commission alleged in a news release Tuesday that William Wade Furman collected $452,000 from eight investors while living in B.C. between 2012 and 2014.
Furman is believed to have raised the money by “falsely claiming that he was a successful, licensed day-trader and that he would use their money to day-trade on their behalf.”
He raised the money through two companies he incorporated, the release said, called Liquidus Holdings Inc. and Liquius Capital Inc.
However, he was never actually registered under the Securities Act. He used half of the money to day-trade, the release said, and used the rest for cash withdrawals, retail and bill purchases and repayments to other investors and himself.
Furman also misled investors by providing fabricated monthly reports that showed how his trades were performing, the release said. Reports were published on the letterhead of a registered investment dealer.
Since 2014, he has repaid a total of $41,150 to the investors involved.
These allegations have not been proven in court.
Furman faces an appointment with the executive director of the commission on April 10 before a date is set for a hearing.
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