Business Registration Division – Securities

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS

DAVID Y. IGE
GOVERNOR

CATHERINE P. AWAKUNI COLÓN
DIRECTOR

TY Y. NOHARA
SECURITIES COMMISSIONER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2022

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Partners with
CFTC and 26 State Securities Regulators to Stop $68 Million
Precious Metals Scheme that Targeted the Elderly

HONOLULU — The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) announced today that it is participating in a multijurisdictional, coordinated enforcement action to stop a fraudulent precious metals scheme that resulted in investments exceeding $68 million from at least 450 investors nationwide.

 The DCCA, through its Securities Enforcement Branch, has joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and 26 other state securities regulators in filing a complaint in the United States District Court for the Central District of California alleging Safeguard Metals LLC and Jeffrey Santulan, a/k/a Jeffrey Hill solicited investors nationwide by touting precious metals at grossly inflated prices that were not disclosed.

 “This is one of many large-scale precious metals investment schemes we’ve endeavored to stop since the pandemic began and we are investigating other similar cases. To prevent any further damages, investors are advised to be particularly cautious when purchasing precious metals and to check for outrageously high commissions, spreads or markups as high as 30 to 70 percent,” said Securities Commissioner Ty Nohara. “As the market continues to fluctuate, we anticipate seeing more fraudsters attempting to capitalize on investor’s uncertainty and use fear to manipulate investors out of their hard-earned money.”

The investors in this case were advised to liquidate their holdings at registered investment firms to fund investments in precious metals, bullion, and bullion coins through self-directed individual retirement accounts. Self-directed IRAs should not be confused with traditional IRAs or other retirement vehicles.

“In expectation of additional precious metals investment schemes, investors are advised to check the registration of all investment products and professionals, diligently research investments, ask tough questions about the fees, markups or spreads, risks, and potential returns,” said Commissioner Nohara. “If the answers seem too good to be true or don’t make sense, protect your wallet by just walking away.”

The defendants are accused of failing to disclose the markup charge for their precious metals bullion products and that investors could lose the majority of their funds once a transaction was completed. In many cases, the market value of the precious metals sold to investors was substantially lower than the value of the securities and other retirement savings investors liquidated to fund their purchase. In Hawaii, one investor was defrauded out of $101,577.71 in this nationwide scheme.

The DCCA encourages investors to contact its Securities Enforcement Branch if they suspect they have been targeted by similar precious metals investment schemes. The DCCA’s Securities Enforcement Branch can be reached by telephone at (808) 586-2740 or electronic mail at [email protected].

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Media Contact:
April Rogers
Communications Officer
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (808) 586-7582