Founder Of Private Equity Firm Pleads Guilty

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced today that JAY LUCAS, the founder and managing partner of Lucas Brand Equity LLC (“LBE”), a private equity fund based in Manhattan, pled guilty to securities fraud, investment adviser fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in connection with a scheme to raise over $50 million from investors by falsely representing that their money would be invested in early-stage health and wellness companies.