LeeAiFen
Publish Date: Tue, 04 Jun 2024, 19:48 PM
The judge dismissed the SEC case against DEBT Box last week, after the regulator filed for dismissal without prejudice.
:format(jpg)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/JAHJF2ZUJRFMPDENRLQSDH34MY.jpg)
The Securities and Exchange Commission's Salt Lake City office – notorious in the crypto world for its failed fraud lawsuit against DEBT Box – will shut down after seeing "significant attrition" among its staff, some of whom were pushed out over the case.
SEC lawyers Michael Welsh and Joseph Watkins resigned in April after a federal judge sanctioned them for committing a "gross abuse of power" in seeking to freeze the assets of Utah-based crypto company DEBT Box on misleading grounds. Just last week the judge dismissed that case and ordered the SEC to pay DEBT Box $1.8 million in legal fees.
"The agency considered its budget and organizational efficiency in deciding to close the office, and it has no plans to close any other regional offices," said a press release.
The regulator's Denver office will take over any enforcement jurisdiction, the SEC said.
https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2024/06/04/sec-to-shutter-office-behind-failed-debt-box-crypto-lawsuit/