CFTC Charges Aureus Revenue Group and CEO Over $1.5 Million Commodity Pool Scam

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has initiated a civil enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against Aureus Revenue Group LLC and its owner and chief executive officer, Emir Jesus Matos Camargo of Orlando, Florida. The complaint accuses the defendants of operating a fraudulent scheme that solicited at least $1.5 million from a minimum of 32 participants for investment in an unregistered commodity pool. According to the CFTC complaint, between September 2019 and November 2022, Matos solicited investors by falsely guaranteeing monthly returns ranging from 1.5% to 3.75%. To build trust, Aureus and Matos distributed fictitious licensing documents purporting to show that Aureus was licensed by the CFTC as an investment fund. These fraudulent documents featured a counterfeit CFTC seal, a forged signature of a former CFTC Commissioner, and a fabricated license number. To further mislead investors, the defendants provided "warranty checks" drawn on Aureus' bank accounts for the full amount of the investors' contributions. In reality, these checks offered a false sense of security and were written on accounts with insufficient funds to back them. The CFTC alleges that Aureus and Matos conducted only limited and unprofitable futures trading. Instead of generating legitimate trading profits, they misappropriated participant funds to make Ponzi-style payouts to certain investors and fund Matos' personal lifestyle, including rent, travel, living expenses, and personal taxes. Furthermore, Aureus failed to register as a commodity pool operator, and Matos failed to register as an associated person with the CFTC. The regulatory agency is seeking full restitution, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, civil monetary penalties, permanent trading and registration bans, and permanent injunctions against further violations of federal commodities laws. Investors are reminded to verify the registration status of any financial firm or individual through NFA BASIC before transferring funds.