DEFENDANTS MUST PAY NEARLY $16,000,000 TO SETTLE UNREGISTERED STOCK SALES CASE

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Court enters final judgment against Defendants

The Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") announced today that the Honorable William J. Haynes, Jr., United States District Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee, entered final judgments on February 27, 2013 against J.C. Reed & Company ("JC Parent") and Barron A. Mathis ("Mathis"). The final judgment against JC Parent, to which JC Parent consented, held JC Parent liable for disgorgement of $11,000,000 and prejudgment interest of $3,910,003.07, for a total of $14,910,003.07. The final judgment against Mathis, to which he consented, restrained and enjoined him from future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Mathis also was held liable for disgorgement of $11,000,000 and prejudgment interest of $4,944,175.39, for a total of $15,944,175.39.

The Commission’s Complaint, filed on November 18, 2008, alleged that, at various times from no later than 2005 through at least September 2008, JC Parent, J.C. Reed & Advisory Group (JC Advisory), John C. Reed ("Reed"), the founder of JC Parent and JC Advisory, and Mathis facilitated the offer and sale of more than $11 million of JC Parent stock in unregistered transactions to over 100 investors in several states. According to the Complaint, JC Parent, JC Advisory, and Reed misrepresented and omitted material facts to investors relating to the value of the investors’ stock, JC Parent’s revenues and profitability, the use of key man life insurance proceeds for redemptions of Reed’s JC Parent stock, and undisclosed sales commissions. The Complaint also alleges that Mathis promoted JC Parent stock to advisory clients and misrepresented material facts to investors about undisclosed sales commissions. In addition, the Complaint alleges that JC Advisory used JC Parent’s inflated stock values to falsely report assets under management as JC Advisory’s basis for registration with the Commission and on reports filed with the Commission.