A hedge fund caught selling fake pre-IPO Uber shares

Investors are clamoring for a piece of Uber, but one group allegedly capitalized on it in the wrong way.

A hedge fund stands accused оf selling investors fake pre-IPO shares of Uber, Airbnb, and Alibaba.

The US Department of Justice charged JSG Capital Investments' CEO and his colleague in allegedly raising more than $9 million in investor funds and then diverting or stealing millions of it.

That money went to fund an elaborate lifestyle, including trips to Vegas, visits to "gentlemen's clubs" and attending professional sporting events.

Along the way the accused did repay small amounts to earlier investors using new investor money as "interest payments" to not arouse suspicion, in a manner that was consistent with a classic Ponzi scheme. But there's no evidence that the group ever bought any pre-IPO shares of any tech company, including Uber.

Ride-hailing company Uber is one of the most valuable private companies, but it is notorious for having tight controls over its shares and it dislikes unauthorized shares being on the market. Other funds that have tried to create groups to buy as much as $10 million in preferred shares in Uber's latest round have decided not to go down that path, citing a lack of investor interest according to a Bloomberg report.

Read more:

• A second barrage of missile strikes from Iran against US positions in Iraq has begun
• Jim Cramer’s latest election: Alteryx, Occidental Petroleum and more
• Arvinas, Dropbox, Trinity under the radar of insiders
• Put options for $11 million in a bet that the SPX will fall in December
• A deal is coming, but not the one we all expect