🚨NEW: Attorney @JohnEDeaton1 has filed a securities fraud class action against @linqto founder and ex-CEO William Sarris on behalf of thousands of retail investors. The suit alleges Sarris orchestrated a multi-year scheme using undisclosed markups (as high as 60%), misleading exemptions, and unlicensed sales tactics to sell shares in private companies like Ripple, Uphold, and Kraken via SPVs on Linqto’s platform. Per the filing, Sarris ignored internal legal memos in 2023 and 2024 warning that the offerings violated multiple SEC and FINRA rules, including acting as an unregistered broker-dealer and running unregistered investment companies. Deaton says this action targets Sarris personally and is not subject to bankruptcy protections. He’s also vowed that any recovery from liability insurance or settlement will go to try help make innocent investors whole.