Hunter Wise Commodities

Hunter Wise Commodities, LLC was a privately held Spring Valley, Nevada-based wholesale precious metals trader and financier offering back office accounting services to its clients. The company also had offices in Irvine, California.[1][2]

Formed in 2007, its wholly owned subsidiaries included Hunter Wise Credit, LLC, Hunter Wise Trading, LLC and Hunter Wise Services, LLC.[3] Fred Jager was the chief executive officer and Harold Edward Martin was president and chief operating officer.[3]

## Litigation

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External videos

True Fraud Stories: Hunter Wise’s Silvery Slope — SmartCheck.gov, CFTC, 5:16, June 26, 2017[4]

Hunter Wise Commodities in September 2012 filed for a declaratory judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for a finding that it was compliant with the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), including amendments by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2011.

In December 2012, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging that Hunter Wise was engaging in unlawful activities.[3]

In a December press release, Hunter Wise Commodities categorically denied the CFTC's allegations and contended that the CFTC overreached its jurisdiction and mischaracterized the nature of the transactions.[5]

On February 25, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida froze all the assets of Hunter Wise Commodities. "The Court has set the trial of the CFTC's claims against the Defendants for a two-week period commencing on February 24, 2014."[6]

On May 22, 2014, the Southern District Court in Florida found that Hunter Wise Commodities, three related companies, Fred Jager, and Harold Edward Martin Jr. were found to have "defrauded thousands of retail customers" and were ordered to pay $52.6 million in restitution and $55.4 million in civil penalties.[7]

## References

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1. ^ "Company Overview of Hunter Wise Commodities, LLC". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
2. ^ "2012 Impact Awards Showcase Exemplary Internet Innovation, Leadership and Achievements at CityCenter in Las Vegas". PRNewswire. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
3. ^ a b c "United States Commodity Future Trading Commission v. Hunter Wise Commodity, LLC, et al., Case No. 9-12-cv-81311-XXXX, entered on FSLD Docket 12/5/12" (PDF). Retrieved 18 February 2013.
4. ^ "A Silvery Slope: Bob's Story". CFTC SmartCheck. Retrieved July 11, 2017. Includes transcript
5. ^ "Hunter Wise Commodities Categorically Denies CFTC Claims". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
6. ^ "Hunter Wise Manager - Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
7. ^ Miedema, Douwe (2014-05-22). "U.S. CFTC wins Hunter Wise Commodities fraud case". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2019-08-16.