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Federal Court Orders Convict Perry Jay Griggs and His Wife to Pay $2.1 Million Civil Penalty for Multi-Million Dollar Commodity Pool Fraud and Misappropriation

In a related criminal proceeding, Perry Griggs sentenced to 87 months imprisonment, and his wife Rachelle sentenced to 48 months imprisonment.

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) obtained a federal court consent order requiring defendants Perry Jay Griggs, his wife, Rachelle Griggs, and their company, Aloha Trading Company, Inc. (Aloha), all of Las Vegas, Nev., to jointly and severally pay a $2.1 million civil monetary penalty to settle CFTC charges that they operated a multi-million dollar commodity futures Ponzi scheme (see CFTC Press Release 5929-11, October 29, 2010).

The order, entered on September 30, 2011, by Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, also imposes permanent trading and registration bans against the defendants.

Specifically, the order finds that, from at least 2005 through 2009, the Griggs and Aloha fraudulently solicited over $3 million from commodity pool participants, many from Hawaii, and misappropriated approximately $1 million of those funds for personal use, including payments for luxury car leases, the rental of a home in Hawaii, the purchase of jewelry, and the chartering of a private jet.

In a related criminal proceeding in August 2011, Perry Griggs was sentenced to 87 months imprisonment, and Rachelle Griggs was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment. Each was also ordered to pay nearly $2 million in restitution to pool participants (U.S. v. Griggs et al., 10-cr-00790 DAE, D. Haw.).

The CFTC thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the State of Hawaii, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, for their assistance.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Jennifer E. Smiley, Judith McCorkle, Joseph Konizeski, Scott Williamson, Rosemary Hollinger, and Richard B. Wagner.

Media Contact
Dennis Holden
202-418-5088

Last Updated: October 4, 2011