On October 23, an official from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission stated that a civil lawsuit was filed against Abner Alejandro Tinoco and its investment company Kikit & Mess Investments LLC in the West District of Texas.
Officials stated that Tinoco was accused of stealing more than $3.9 million in a Ponzi scheme similar to a scheme that involved fraudulently promising customers that his company would invest their funds in stocks and cryptocurrencies.
U.S. District Court Judge David C. Guaderrama signed a unilateral statutory restraining order on October 13 to freeze assets controlled by Tinoco and its business until a preliminary injunction hearing is held to determine whether the assets should continue to be frozen. The preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, October 27.