The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil enforcement action against Alan Burak, the founder of Never Alone Capital LLC, alleging he ran a fraudulent scheme that raised approximately USD 4 million and misappropriated most of the proceeds for personal use. According to the SEC’s complaint, between 2018 and 2023 Burak solicited at least 17 investors by falsely portraying himself as a wealthy hedge fund owner and representing Never Alone as an investment fund that would deploy investor money on “Wall Street” through a complex strategy, in some cases with guaranteed returns. The SEC alleges he did not invest as represented, diverted investor deposits to personal expenses including credit card charges for luxury skin care and payments to an adult-only subscription service, and provided false account statements showing consistently positive returns while investors were consistently losing money. The complaint also cites a July 2022 audio recording in which Burak stated he was fake, did not have a real business, and was stealing from people. The SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and conduct-based injunctions. In a parallel action, the New York County District Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against Burak.