British Columbia Securities Commission bans Marco G. Babini from B.C. investment market for 15 years after U.S. securities fraud conviction

The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) has ordered a 15-year ban on Marco G. Babini, a Vancouver-linked individual convicted in the United States of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud tied to a Boston-based biomedical company. The panel required Babini to resign from any director or officer positions he holds with an issuer or registrant and prohibited him for 15 years from trading or purchasing securities or derivatives (with limited exceptions), acting as a registrant, promoter, or director or officer of an issuer or registrant, advising or acting in a management consultative capacity in securities or derivatives markets, engaging in promotional activities related to securities or derivatives, and relying on exemptions under British Columbia’s Securities Act. The order follows Babini’s guilty plea in U.S. federal court in 2023 and sentencing in 2024 to time served of about two and a half months, about nine months of home incarceration and supervised release, and a fine of USD 50,000, arising from a 2012–2013 scheme involving stock under concealed control and trades arranged with an undercover agent. The panel concluded he remains a risk to investors, while noting the prohibitions are intended to prevent involvement with issuers in trading or capital raising rather than operational consulting services.