Traffic Monsoon Owner to Pay SEC Nearly $5 Million in Ponzi Case

The man behind an online ad seller accused of running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme owes the SEC almost $5 million after a federal judge in Utah granted the agency’s default judgment motion.

Charles Scoville, owner of Traffic Monsoon LLC, must pay the Securities and Exchange Commission more than $2.5 million in disgorgement and interest and $2.4 million more as a civil fine, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah said.

Traffic Monsoon offered bundled advertising services, called “AdPacks,” which promised investors a 10% return in exchange for clicking on other customers’ online ads. The company depended on ...