London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Influencers who promoted stock on social media charged with $100m fraud scheme

Influencers who promoted stock on social media charged with $100m fraud scheme

While their fans were being duped on Twitter and Discord, the accused showcased their "extravagant lifestyles" online, including posing in photos with luxury cars, authorities have alleged.

Eight social media influencers who allegedly used their status to manipulate stock prices have been charged in a $100m (£81m) fraud scheme.

The young men had a combined following of 1.5 million people on Twitter, and used it alongside messaging platform Discord to promote themselves as successful traders and encourage their fans to invest in selected shares.

According to charges brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, when the price of those shares rose, they would regularly sell them off without ever disclosing their plans.

It's a process often referred to as "pump and dump".

Authorities said the group's loyal followers were fed "a steady diet of misinformation" since at least January 2020, "which resulted in fraudulent profits of approximately $100m".

While their fans were being duped, the accused showcased their "extravagant lifestyles" online, including posing in photos with luxury cars, authorities alleged.



Seven of the men have been charged with securities fraud, and their Twitter handles were revealed alongside their names and states of residence:

• Perry Matlock (@PJ_Matlock) of Texas

• Edward Constantin (@MrZackMorris) of Texas

• Thomas Cooperman (@ohheytommy) of California

• Gary Deel (@notoriousalerts) of California

• Mitchell Hennessey (@Hugh_Henne) of New Jersey

• Stefan Hrvatin (@LadeBackk) of Florida

• John Rybarczyk (@Ultra_Calls) of Texas

Tweets from the men regularly encouraged members of the "Goblin Gang" to purchase stock, inviting followers to contact them to "get these levels" and the daily "game plan" texted straight to them.

Most of the accounts are still online and were tweeting as recently as three or four days ago.



The eighth man, Daniel Knight (@DipDeity) of Texas, has been charged with aiding and abetting the alleged scheme, including via a podcast he co-hosted and used to promote many of the other men as expert traders.

He is said to have also traded in concert with them and regularly profited from doing so.

Each could face up to 25 years in jail for conspiracy to commit securities fraud and each count of securities fraud.

Constantin also faces a maximum term of 10 years if convicted of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.


It comes amid a US crackdown on high-profile people who promote financial products, including cryptocurrency.

Last month, an Instagram star was jailed in California for more than 11 years over an international, multi-million dollar scam which targeted an English Premier League club.

Weeks earlier, Kim Kardashian was fined and banned from promoting crypto for three years to settle federal charges over an Instagram post about the EthereumMax asset.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
×