Litigation Releases (Christopher Joseph Bongiorno and Jason Allan Arthur)

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 26526 / April 10, 2026

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Christopher Joseph Bongiorno et. al., No. 1:20-cv-00469-JPC (N.D. Ohio filed Feb. 28, 2020)

SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgment as to Defendant Charged with Fraud and Acting as an Unregistered Broker

On April 7, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio entered a final judgment by consent as to Christopher Joseph Bongiorno in connection with the SEC's civil enforcement action against him. Bongiorno previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud in a parallel criminal action, United States v. Bongiorno, Case No. 1:21-CR-00491-JPC(9) (N.D. Ohio).

According to the SEC's complaint, filed on February 28, 2020, from September 2015 through November 2018, Bongiorno solicited individuals throughout the United States to purchase securities issued by US Lighting Group, Inc. and Petroteq Energy, Inc. As alleged, Bongiorno, using a fictitious name to make it appear he was a licensed broker, cold called prospective investors and hired others to work below him to solicit investors to purchase US Lighting or Petroteq securities. The complaint further alleges that Bongiorno received gross commissions of more than $2.3 million and also misappropriated $30,000 from two investors.

The final judgment permanently enjoins Bongiorno from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 10(b) and 15(a)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The final judgment also enjoins Bongiorno, for a period of five years, from soliciting any person to purchase or sell any security, and permanently enjoins him from acting as or associating with any broker or dealer. The final judgment also orders Bongiorno to pay disgorgement of $2,370,987.43 plus prejudgment interest of $551,924.45, which is offset by the $929,729.38 order of restitution entered against Bongiorno in the parallel criminal action.

The SEC previously obtained summary judgment against Bongiorno and a final judgment as to his codefendant, Jason Allan Arthur. The final judgment as to Bongiorno concludes the SEC's litigation.