Investigative technology company LocatePlus Holdings Corp. has agreed to settle securities fraud charges from 2005 to 2007.
The Commission brought charges against the Beverly, Mass.-based public and private data provider in October 2010, accusing the company of misleading investors about funding and revenue. The company, which sells skip-tracing tools and an investigative database, was acquired last October by Everest Group.
LocatePlus did not admit or deny the SEC’s claim but it did agree not to sell its securities in the public market. The company also agreed to an administrative order revoking the registration of its securities and will no longer trade in the public markets, the SEC said Monday.
Given that LocatePlus was in the midst of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and completed the sale of its assets in January 2012, the proposed judgment will not impose monetary relief against the company. The judgment is subject to court approval.
In November 2010, the U.S. States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts brought charges against LocatePlus’s former CEO Jon Latorella and CFO James Fields. The two were charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Latorella was sentenced last months to 60 months in prison and an additional three years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to fraudulently inflate revenue at LocatePlus. Latorella will also have to pay restitution, which will be determined at a later hearing.
The criminal case against Fields is still pending.
