SEC charges Jonathan Mikula and Gabriel Frankewich of ‘PhoenixSurf.com’ with fraud
July 26, 2007
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week confirmed something we already know. That PhoenixSurf (www.phoenixsurf.com), a popular autosurf "investment" program in 2006 which promised to pay 120% return in just 8 days, was an internet ponzi scheme and a fraud.
PhoenixSurf operators Jonathan Mikula, 21 years old, and Gabriel J. Frankewich, 29, were charged with securities fraud for running a ponzi autosurf program that raised $41.9 million in just four months from more than 20,000 investors worldwide.
According to the SEC press release, the defendants settled the charges, without admitting or denying the allegations, agreeing to a judgment permanently enjoining them from future violations of securities laws.
Mikula was ordered to pay a total of $106,671; Frankewich, $96,345.79; and Phoenixsurf.com and New Millennium Entrepreneurs (NME) LLC amounts to be determined, but payment by Mikula and Frankewich was waived and civil penalties were not assessed, the SEC said.
Complete text of the SEC press release on PhoenixSurf after the jump.
Read more
The Fall of PhoenixSurf: Not my fault, says Jonathan Mikula
January 11, 2007
Non est mea culpa. Not my fault.
This is what Jonathan Mikula seems to be saying about the fall of PhoenixSurf (www.phoenixsurf.com), the erstwhile popular autosurf program he used to run.
In an interview with The Red and Black, student newspaper of the University of Georgia, Jonathan Mikula chronicled the collapse of the autosurf program:
In November 2005, Mikula's company, New Millennium Entrepreneurs (NME), registered PhoenixSurf.com as a limited liability corporation with the Georgia Secretary of State.
Soon afterwards, Mikula enlisted the help of Organa Consulting and Avante Holding Group, consultation firms run by Florida businessmen Christian Rishel, Michael Hawkins, and Jason Benoit. Mikula admitted they needed consultants to help operate the autosurf program because they were "inadequate in certain areas in terms to run the site."
So this is Jonathan Mikula of PhoenixSurf
September 9, 2006
If you were a member of the now-closed autosurf program PhoenixSurf (www.phoenixsurf.com), chances are the name "Jonathan Mikula" rings a bell. You're familiar with it primarily because you've seen the name sign most email newsletters and updates from PhoenixSurf. Well, he did so because he is CEO of NMEGlobal (www.nmeglobal.com), parent company of PhoenixSurf.
Whats sets Jonathan Mikula apart from other CEOs, however, is the fact that he's only 20 years old. He is currently still a student taking up a business course at the University of Georgia. Wanna know how a 20-year old CEO who ran and managed a million-dollar autosurf program looks like? Continue reading.
HYIP Update: Authentic or phishing email from PhoenixSurf?
September 5, 2006
Anyone else who received this mail supposedly from admin@phoenixsurf.com? What's interesting is that the reply address is not "admin@phoenixsurf.com" but instead "noreply@phoenixsurff.com" — notice the two f's in phoenixsurff.com.
Could this well be just a fake mail, or worse, a phishing email? If you received this, I strongly suggest you don't reply yet to the address mentioned in the mail.
