Justin Sun, Tron Entities Reach Settlement With US SEC, $10M Fine Imposed

bitcoinistPublished on 2026-03-06Last updated on 2026-03-06

Abstract

The US SEC has settled its civil fraud case against Tron founder Justin Sun and related entities, including the Tron Foundation, BitTorrent Foundation, and Rainberry. As part of the settlement, Rainberry will pay a $10 million civil penalty and is permanently enjoined from violating securities laws. The SEC has dismissed all claims against Sun, the Tron Foundation, and the BitTorrent Foundation. The case, filed in March 2023, alleged unregistered sales of TRX and BTT tokens, artificial inflation of trading volumes, and concealed payments to celebrity endorsers. Despite the legal resolution, TRX's price remained around $0.28.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has settled its civil fraud case against Tron (TRX) blockchain founder Justin Sun, bringing an end to the legal proceedings that began in 2023.

As part of the settlement, one of Justin Sun’s companies will pay a $10 million civil penalty, and the regulator will drop its claims against Sun and several related entities.

Justin Sun Case’s End

The SEC originally filed its lawsuit in March 2023 against Sun and his companies, including the Tron Foundation, BitTorrent Foundation, and Rainberry. The agency alleged that Sun and the corporate defendants orchestrated the unregistered offer and sale of TRX and BitTorrent’s BTT.

Additionally, the regulator — chaired at the time by the heavily criticized Gary Gensler — accused them of inflating trading volumes artificially and concealing payments made to celebrity endorsers who promoted the tokens.

According to a court filing made public on Thursday, the settlement includes a permanent injunction against Rainberry. The company is barred from violating key Securities Acts in connection with the offer or sale of securities.

That provision prohibits engaging in transactions or business practices that operate as a fraud or deceit on purchasers, including conduct that creates a false appearance or misleads investors about the price or trading market of a security.

SEC Finalizes Settlement

The filing further orders Rainberry to pay a $10 million civil penalty. At the same time, the SEC agreed to dismiss with prejudice all claims against Justin Sun, the Tron Foundation, and the BitTorrent Foundation.

The regulator’s dismissal also covers all remaining claims against Rainberry in the case, with no additional costs or fees imposed.

The daily chart shows TRX’s price decline on Thursday. Source: TRXUSDT on TradingView.com

Despite Justin Sun and his firms winning in court, Tron’s native token, TRX, has failed to capitalize on this legal development, remaining at around $0.28 at the time of writing.

Featured image from Bloomberg, chart from TradingView.com

Related Questions

QWhat was the outcome of the SEC's civil fraud case against Justin Sun and Tron entities?

AThe SEC reached a settlement, with one of Justin Sun's companies paying a $10 million civil penalty, and the regulator dropping all claims against Sun and the related entities.

QWhich specific companies were named as defendants in the original SEC lawsuit filed in March 2023?

AThe SEC sued Justin Sun, the Tron Foundation, the BitTorrent Foundation, and Rainberry.

QWhat were the two main allegations the SEC made against Justin Sun and the corporate defendants?

AThe SEC alleged they orchestrated the unregistered offer and sale of TRX and BTT tokens, and artificially inflated trading volumes while concealing payments to celebrity endorsers.

QWhat is the permanent injunction imposed on Rainberry as part of the settlement?

ARainberry is permanently barred from violating key Securities Acts and is prohibited from engaging in fraudulent or deceptive business practices that mislead investors.

QHow did the TRX token price react to the news of the legal settlement?

ATRX failed to capitalize on the legal development, remaining at around $0.28 at the time of writing.

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