The SEC recently announced it would pursue fraud charges and freeze the assets of the Jay Peak, Inc. Vermont ski resort. The SEC alleges that Ariel Quiros, of Miami, and William Stenger, of Vermont, conducted an illegal Ponzi-like scheme in connection with the funds raised for the resort. The total amount of money in question with these activities is $350 million, a large portion of which was raised through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, a program designed to incentivize foreign investment by promising a fast track to a green card.

According to the SEC, Quiros and Stenger diverted money from the ski resort project to other projects in an attempt to finance them. In addition, an alleged $50 million was spent on Quiros’s personal expenses, such as his personal income taxes and a luxury condominium. There appears to be little money left to fund the ski resort renovations.

Further, the actions of Quiros and Stenger could put many investors’ funds and immigration petitions in jeopardy. In order to get their green card the investors need to fund at least 10 new jobs, which may not happen here.

Given these charges, it is unclear whether investors who were considering committing capital to U.S. projects under EB-5 will still do so. It is also unclear as to whether this is a continuing problem or isolated incident.

Here’s the link to the SEC news release.  https://www.sec.gov/news/pressrelease/2016-69.html