Mark Pugsley has been handling securities disputes, financial fraud and whistleblower cases for 28 years. His whistleblower practice includes preparing and filing whistleblower tips with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), he also handles False Claims Act or “Qui Tam” lawsuits, FINRA arbitrations and other types of investment disputes.
Mark is based in our Utah office, the state which boasts the largest number of Ponzi schemes per capita in the country. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Plaintiffs, and Martindale Hubbell as one of the top securities lawyers in the country. He is licensed to practice law in Utah and California.
Mark represents whistleblowers in a number of high-profile ongoing cases, including the whistleblowers in the Washakie Renewable Energy scam in which executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges in a $1 billion biodiesel tax fraud scheme. He also represents the whistleblowers in the Nikola Motors case who uncovered widespread fraud by the CEO, Trevor Milton. The whistleblower report to the SEC in the Nikola case led to a $125 million settlement by the company with the SEC, and Mr. Milton was charged civilly and criminally with securities fraud, among other charges. Another of his whistleblower clients uncovered an ongoing $200 million Ponzi scheme that led to civil and criminal actions by the DOJ, SEC and State regulators. These cases are ongoing.
Significant recoveries for his whistleblower, investment fraud and FINRA Arbitration clients include the following:
In addition to his whistleblower practice, Mark has been litigating securities disputes for his entire legal career. He has also handled many FINRA arbitration cases and frequently goes to court to pursue claims for victims of fraud. Prior to founding the law firm of Pugsley & Wood, Mark was a shareholder at the law firm of Ray Quinney & Nebeker in Salt Lake City, where he worked for 23 years. Mark is a recognized expert in the area of investment fraud and has written and spoken extensively on whistleblower law, Ponzi schemes and affinity fraud for many years.