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☆ A publicly traded media venture with ties to MoviePass' former chairman has been suspended from Nasdaq and its stock is in free fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Embattled digital-media company Vinco Ventures has been suspended by Nasdaq after a board exodus. It became a meme stock in 2021 after teaming up with the ex-chairman of MoviePass and touting buzzy acquisitions. The future of Vinco Ventures, the publicly traded media venture with ties to ex-MoviePass chairman Ted Farnsworth, is hanging in the balance after a series of buzzy deals collapsed and a board exodus has put the stock on the brink of a Nasdaq delisting. Shares of Vinco have nosedived 99% since their recent peak in September 2021, when meme-stock investors helped propel the stock. Farnsworth led the 2017 acquisition of MoviePass as chairman and CEO of the then-publicly-traded company Helios & Matheson Analytics, or HMNY for short.

Persons: Ted Farnsworth, we've, Shadwrick Vick, Farnsworth, Vick, It'd, Vinco, They're, Mitch Lowe, Lowe, MoviePass, Chris Bond, Mr Organizations: Vinco Ventures, Nasdaq, Zash Global Media, Entertainment, National Enquirer, Street Journal, MoviePass, Helios, Matheson Analytics Locations: Vinco, Clark County , Nevada

☆ Former MoviePass executives face fraud charges
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The men each face one count of securities fraud and three counts of wire fraud with a maximum of 20 years in prison. Farnsworth had a first appearance in DC District Court Friday after he voluntarily turned himself in. But MoviePass’ business model was at best unsustainable — and at worst nonexistent. Spikes helped found MoviePass before being pushed out in 2018 after selling the company to HMNY. Details remain scarce, but the company says the new MoviePass will have three pricing tiers that will cost $10, $20 or $30, depending on the market.

☆ Federal prosecutors charge ex-CEOs of MoviePass, parent company in alleged fraud scheme
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former executives at MoviePass and its parent company have been charged with fraud, according to a federal indictment that was unsealed Friday. MoviePass skyrocketed to popularity in 2017 because of its seemingly too-good-to-be-true unlimited movie pass that initially offered customers one movie voucher per day for $30 to $40 a month. However, many MoviePass subscribers began to use the service too frequently and the company started to lose money quickly. According to the DOJ document, the pair also allegedly knew that the price of MoviePass' unlimited plan would not be enough to offset losses. Instead, the pair had directed employees to implement tactics to prevent subscribers from using their unlimited service, according to prosecutors.

☆ Former MoviePass executives sued by the SEC, which alleges they made 'false or misleading statements' to the public
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Jason Guerrasio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The SEC is suing former MoviePass executives Mitch Lowe and Ted Farnsworth. The suit claims they made "false and misleading statements" about the company being profitable. In a complaint filed late Monday, reviewed by Insider, it claims that the duo made "false or misleading statements" in financial filings and in the press. Itum is accused of submitting false invoices and receiving more than $310,000 from both MoviePass and HMNY. Last June, Farnsworth and Lowe settled with the FTC and reached a $400,000 settlement with the California district attorneys.

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