Case 4:16-cv-00246 Document 1 Filed 04/11/16 Page 1 of 26 PageID #: 1

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
SHERMAN DIVISION
)
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, )
)
)
Plaintiff,
)
)
v.
)
)
WILLIAM E. MAPP, Ill,
)
WARREN K. PAXTON, JR.,
)
CALEB J. WHITE, and
)
SERVERGY, INC.
)
)
Respondents.

Civil Action No.:

JURY TRIAL DEMANDED

COMPLAINT
Plaintiff United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") alleges:
NATURE OF THE ACTION
1.

From November 2009 to September 2013 ("Relevant Period"), McKinney, Texas-

based technology company Servergy, Inc. ("Servergy") raised approximately $26 million in
private securities offerings to develop what it claimed was a revolutionary new server, the
Cleantech-1000 ("CTS-1000").
2.

In oral and written communications with prospective investors, and in Servergy's

February 2013 Private Placement Memorandum ("PPM"), Servergy's co-founder and then-CEO
and Chairman William E. Mapp, III ("Mapp") led investors to believe that the CTS-1000 was in
high demand by falsely claiming notable companies like Amazon.com and Freescale
Semiconductors had pre-ordered the product.
3.

In addition, Mapp claimed the CTS-1000 consumed up to 80% less power than

other servers and that it was positioned to compete with servers from industry leaders like

 Case 4:16-cv-00246 Document 1 Filed 04/11/16 Page 2 of 26 PageID #: 2

Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Dell for use in large data centers. Mapp had no reasonable basis for
these claims and failed to disclose that, in reality, the CTS-1000 was based on outdated
technology that was being phased out of the industry.
4.

As part of its fundraising efforts, Servergy paid Caleb J. White ("White") and

Warren K. Paxton, Jr. ("Paxton") commissions to promote the company to potential investors.
Neither White nor Paxton disclosed their arrangements to prospective investors.

DEFENDANTS
5.

Serverg)', Inc. is incorporated in Nevada.

At all relevant times, Servergy's

principal place of business was in McKinney, Texas. The company raised approximately $26
million between its founding in August 2009 and September 2013. During that period, Servergy
claimed to be a computer hardware company with a single product, the CTS-1000. In 2014,
Servergy rebranded itself under the leadership of a new CEO and reconstituted board of directors
and is now generating revenue using the CTS-1000 to sell secure, cloud-based data storage
services.
6.

William E. Mapp, III, age 56, resides in McKinney, Texas. Mapp co-founded

Servergy and served as its CEO from August 2009 to September 2014, its President from August
2009 to July 2014, and Chairman of its board of directors from April 2009 to May 2015. Mapp
was responsible for Servergy's fundraising from August 2009 to February 2013 and had
signatory authority over Servergy's bank accounts while CEO.
7.

Warren K. Paxton, Jr., age 53, resides in McKinney, Texas. Paxton has served

as Texas's Attorney General since January 2015. He was a Texas state senator from January
2013 to December 2014, and a Texas state representative from January 2003 to December 2012.
Paxton received 100,000 shares of Servergy stock for recruiting investors to Servergy between
SEC v. Mapp, et al.
COMPLAINT

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July 11, 2011 and July 31, 2011. Paxton was registered as an investment advisor representative
of Mowery Capital Management ("MCM") from December 2013 to November 2014, and
MCM's predecessor firm from July 2003 to December 2004. On May 2, 2014, the Texas State
Securities Board ("TSSB") fined Paxton $1,000 after he admitted soliciting clients for MCM
without being registered as an investment advisor representative of the firm According to the
TSSB's disciplinary order, Paxton did not personally disclose to clients that he would be paid
30% of the asset management fees MCM collected. On July 28, 2015, a Collin County, Texas
grand jury indicted Paxton on two counts of first degree state securities fraud and one third
degree felony count for failing to register as an investment adviser representative for the same
conduct underlying the TSSB's disciplinary order. State of Texas v. Warren Kenneth Paxton, Jr.
in the 416th Judicial District Court of Collin County, Texas, No. 416-81913-2015, 416-821482015, and 416-82149-2015.
8.

Caleb White, age 36, resides in Tyler, Texas. White received approximately

$66,000 in commissions for recruiting investors to Servergy from April 2010 to April 2012. He
also served as a purported independent director on Servergy' s board between September 2011
and September 2015. White owns an insurance sales firm focusing on Medicare, property and
casualty insurance, and life insurance.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
9.

The SEC brings this action pursuant to authority conferred upon it by Section

20(b) and 20(d) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 77t(b) and 77t(d)] and Section 21(d) and
21(e) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. §§ 78u(d) and 78(u)(e)].

SEC v. Mapp, et al.
COMPLAINT

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10.

This Court has jurisdiction over this action pursuant to Section 22(a) of the

Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77v(a)] and Section 2l(d), 21(e), and 27 of the Exchange Act [15
U.S.C. §§ 78u(d), (e), and 78aa].
11.

Venue is proper in this district because at all relevant times Servergy maintained

an office here, all individual Defendants except White reside here, and the acts, transactions, and
courses of business constituting violations of law alleged in this Complaint occurred here.
12.

In connection with the conduct described in this Complaint, Defendants directly

or indirectly made use of the mails or the means or instruments of transportation or
communication in interstate commerce.
FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
I.

SERVERGY MADE MATERIAL MISREPRESENTATIONS AND OMISSIONS
ABOUT THE CTS-1000 TO RAISE $26 MILLION BETWEEN 2009 AND 2013
SELLING UNREGISTERED SECURITIES.
13.

Servergy funded its operations, namely development of the CTS-1000, by raising

$26 million between November 2009 and September 2013 without a registration statement being
filed or in effect and when no exemption from registration applied.

A.

Mapp led Servergy's fundraising efforts between November 2009 and
January 2013 and raised more than $6 million.
14.

From November 2009 through January 2013, Mapp acted not only as Servergy's

co-founder, CEO, and Chairman; he was also its primary fundraiser. During that time, he raised
over $6 million for Servergy through word-of-mouth referrals that led to sales of common stock
to 13 5 investors across ten states.
15.

Mapp identified prospective investors through referrals and offered to pay 10%

commissions to individuals for introducing new investors to the company.

SEC v. Mapp, et al.
COMPLAINT

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16.

Once prospective investors were identified, Mapp hosted presentations, in person

and virtually through webinars, pitching opportunities to invest in Servergy. During those
presentations, he made materially misleading claims about the state of Servergy's technology
and its business prospects, and conducted a live demonstration juxtaposing the CTS-IOOO's
power efficiency with a Dell server that Mapp falsely claimed was a comparable product.
17.

In addition to his in-person and virtual presentations, Mapp provided prospective

investors offering documents including a Confidential Information Memorandum ("CIM") and
subscription agreement. Mapp helped draft these documents and was ultimately responsible for
their contents.
18.

Mapp's investor presentations and Servergy's CIM contained material

misrepresentations and omissions about the state of Servergy' s technology and business
prospects, as described below.
B.

WFG Investments, Inc. raised $20 Million for Servergy between February
and September 2013.

19.

Between February 2013 and September 2013, Servergy engaged broker-dealer

WFG Investments, Inc. ("WFG") to raise an additional $20 million for the company by offering
up to 10,000,000 shares of Servergy common stock at a price of $2.00 per share.
20.

In connection with the WFG offering, Mapp conducted a live investor

presentation on or about February 14, 2013 ("WFG Presentation"), which was audio recorded
and later made available to prospective investors across the country via email.
21.

In addition to Mapp's recorded presentation, prospective investors identified in

connection with the WFG offering also received Servergy's private placement memorandum
("PPM"), a marketing PowerPoint presentation, an executive summary, and a subscription
agreement. Mapp participated in drafting the PPM and was ultimately responsible for approving
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COMPLAINT

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the statements made in it, large portions of which were copied from Servergy' s earlier CIM.
According to the PPM, investment funds would be used to develop necessary software,
manufacture the CTS-1000, and market the server to customers.
22.

Both the investor presentation and PPM contained material misrepresentations

and omissions about the state of Servergy's technology and business prospects, as described
below.

II.

MAPP AND SERVERGY MISLED INVESTORS WITH FALSE CLAIMS OF
ALLEGED ORDERS.
A.

Servergy falsely claimed customers had committed to purchasing the CTS1000.

23.

When soliciting investments throughout the Relevant Period, Servergy and Mapp

knowingly misled investors to believe that customers were committed to purchasing the CTS1000.
24.

To demonstrate market demand for the CTS-1000, Mapp implemented a pre-order

program in August 2012 requiring customers to pay a 50% deposit to pre-order the CTS-1000.
25.

When no potential customers were willing to pay a deposit to reserve a CTS-

1000, Mapp changed the program in October 2012, dropping the deposit requirement and merely
calling for a customer to sign a non-binding pre-order form. Even though the new pre-order
form was non-binding and required no financial deposit, only one potential customer, Koerr, Inc.
("Koerr") was willing to sign it.
26.

In order to create the false appearance that Servergy had received more than one

pre-order, Mapp's son, William E. Mapp, IV ("Will Mapp"), published a "pre-order" form on
Servergy' s website, which allowed visitors to the site to express interest in the CTS-1000 by

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COMPLAINT

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submitting basic information such as a name and company affiliation. Such pre-orders did not
obligate website visitors to purchase Servergy's server.
27.

By January 2013, in order to further falsely inflate the number of pre-orders,

Mapp began to use the term pre-order to refer to any instance in which a prospective customer
indicated, either orally, via email, or on Servergy's online pre-order form that it would consider
buying the CTS-1000 when it ultimately became available in the market.
28.

With Mapp's counterintuitive definition of "pre-order" as its basis, a section of

Servergy's PPM titled "pre-orders" falsely claimed the company had received "25 orders totaling
over 1,500 units with planned delivery in late 2013."
29.

During the WFG Presentation, Mapp falsely claimed that Servergy had received

pre-orders for over 2,000 CTS-1000 units and the company would begin to turn a profit after
selling only 600 units. At that same gathering, Mapp failed to correct a WFG representative who
claimed investors' money would be "protected in a very short fashion" because Servergy had
"orders on the books."
30.

Despite changing the meaning of the term "pre-order" to suit his needs over time,

Mapp told investors that Servergy's pre-order program was the same model used by Tesla and
Apple. This was untrue because, during the Relevant Period, Tesla and Apple each required
customers to make cash deposits, or payment in full, when pre-ordering products.
31.

When these statements were made in the PPM and orally by Mapp, he knew that

Servergy had not received orders for the CTS-1000. Instead, Mapp had simply invented his own
misleading definition for the term "pre-order" to disguise the fact that Servergy had neither
actual product orders nor binding legal or financial commitments from customers to purchase the
CTS-1000.
SEC v. Mapp, et al.
COMPLAINT

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B.

Servergy maintained a pipeline report tracking supposed sales leads.

32.

Servergy utilized an Opportunity Pipeline Report ("Pipeline Report") to internally

track sales leads.

Will Mapp, who generated potential customer leads at trade shows and

monitored online pre-orders, was primarily responsible for maintaining and updating the Pipeline
Report, which Bill Mapp received and discussed with other members of management.
33.

The Pipeline Report (a) identified companies Servergy believed were interested in

the CTS-1000; and (b) estimated the likelihood a sale would actually occur. For instance,
Servergy's Pipeline Report assigned a 50% likelihood that Disney and Netflix would each order
the CTS-1000 despite no substantive discussions with those companies or indicia that the
companies seriously considered purchasing Servergy's server.
34.

The Pipeline Report also continued to identify potential customer orders long

after those supposed sales opportunities - to companies such as Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
("Freescale"), discussed below - ceased to exist.
35.

Hence, the Pipeline Report presented an overstated version of Servergy's business

prospects and consequent financial outlook and overall sustainability.

C.

Mapp touted orders that never existed.

1.
36.

The alleged Freescale order

In late July 2012, when Servergy was low on operating funds, the company

pitched a possible sale to Freescale. While Servergy's management was optimistic about the
opportunity, Mapp alone began falsely referring to it as an actual purchase order. Indeed, Mapp
began touting an order from Freescale when soliciting prospective investors and communicating
with Servergy's promoters, including Paxton.

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COMPLAINT

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37.

On July 26, 2012 and July 30, 2012, Mapp touted the alleged Freescale order in

emails to an investor. In the emails, Mapp knowingly and falsely claimed that Servergy had
received an order from Freescale with a potential value of $34 million. Shortly after receiving
Mapp's second email, the investor wired $40,000 to Servergy. Before receiving the investment,
Servergy had just over $5,000 in its bank account but, after receiving the investor's $40,000, was
able to meet its rent and payroll obligations for the month.
38.

Ultimately, Freescale never purchased or ordered a single CTS-1000.

2.
39.

The alleged Amazon order

When Servergy was again low on operating funds in early 2013, Mapp falsely

told prospective investors that the company had received an order from Amazon. In reality, an
employee of Amazon had merely contacted Servergy because he wanted to test the CTS-1000 in
his free time and for his personal use.
40.

On December 25, 2012, the Amazon employee filled out Servergy's online pre-

order form and typed "Amazon" into the field requiring a company name.· The following day,
Will Mapp received the online pre-order and immediately forwarded it to Mapp. Without any
additional information, and before contacting Amazon or the individual for verification, Mapp
sent a congratulatory email to the Servergy executive team claiming the company had received
an order from Amazon.
41.

On December 31, 2012, the Amazon employee explained to Will Mapp that he

was simply inquiring about the CTS-1000 in his personal capacity and did not act on behalf of
Amazon.
42.

By January 9, 2013, Servergy's engineers were aware there was no order from

Amazon and the individual's pre-order never even appeared in the Pipeline Report.
SEC v. Mapp, et al.

COMPLAINT

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43.

Notwithstanding (a) the lack of indicia in the online pre-order form of an

enterprise-level interest at Amazon in the CTS-1000; (b) the fact that the pre-order only indicated
an interest in a single server; and (c) the individual's prompt clarification that he was not
inquiring on behalf of Amazon, Mapp knowingly or recklessly represented to investors and
promoters, including White and Paxton, that Servergy had received an order from Amazon until
at least February 4, 2013.
44.

Indeed, on January 16, 2013, eleven months before Servergy had commercial

units of the CTS-1000 available for purchase, Mapp sent an email telling a prospective investor
that Servergy was preparing to ship its first unit to Amazon. At the time, Servergy had just over
$1,000 in its bank accounts and no commercial units available to ship. On February 28, 2013,
the investor wired Servergy $100,000.

3.
45.

The alleged Koerr order

Servergy's PPM falsely claimed that the company had received "25 orders

totaling over 1,500 units." Notwithstanding Servergy's misleading use of the term "pre-order,"
this statement was false and Mapp knew it was false by at least March 10, 2013. Nonetheless,
the claim remained in the PPM until the offering closed on September 30, 2013.
46.

Servergy attributed the bulk of the supposed 1,500 units ordered to a purported

purchase order by Koerr.
47.

In October 2012, Will Mapp met Koerr's then-Chief Technology Officer

("CTO"), at a trade show, where the CTO agreed to consider the CTS-1000 for Koerr's serverpurchasing needs. Shortly thereafter, the CTO signed a Servergy pre-order form for 1,000 units,
but, as was the case with all Servergy pre-orders, did not make any payment or obligate Koerr to
purchase any units.
SEC v. Mapp, et al.
COMPLAINT

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48.

On November 21, 2012, Servergy agreed to send Koerr two CTS-1000 prototypes

for evaluation free of charge. Although Koerr' s CTO signed a "purchase" order covering those
two units, Koerr returned the units to Servergy after completing its testing.
49.

On March 10, 2013, Koerr's CTO informed Servergy that Koerr had purchased its

servers from Dell because it needed a server with a 64-bit processor, not the 32-bit processor of
the CTS-1000. Mapp was informed ofthis the same day.
50.

Servergy's false claim that it had received "25 orders totaling over 1,500 units,"

based largely on the Koerr pre-order, remained in the company's PPM until the WFG offering
closed in September 30, 2013. In fact, when Servergy supplemented the PPM in July 2013,
Mapp knowingly or recklessly failed to remove the claim or otherwise inform investors that the
claim was untrue, and instead distributed the material misrepresentation to additional prospective
investors.
III.

MAPP AND SERVERGY MISREPRESENTED THE CTS-lOOO's CAPABILITIES
A. Mapp and Servergy failed to disclose that the CTS-1000 utilized an obsolete 32bit processor.
51.

Servergy's PPM claimed the CTS-1000 was a revolutionary new server that could

replace the "power-hungry" servers found in top data centers. Mapp, who touted his technical
savvy and invited investors to rely on his claimed expertise, made similar claims in oral and
written communications with investors throughout the Relevant Period. In truth, Servergy' s
technology was outdated by the time the WFG offering launched in February 2013.
52.

According to the PPM, the CTS-1000 was an enterprise-grade general purpose

server that would directly compete with top server makers like IBM, Dell, and Hewlett Packard.
However, neither Mapp nor Servergy informed investors that while those companies had moved
to manufacturing high performance servers with 64-bit processors, the CTS-1000 had a less
SEC v. Mapp, et al.
COMPLAINT

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powerful 32-bit processor, and, thus, the CTS-1000 would not directly compete with the servers
listed in the PPM.
53.

Neither Mapp nor Servergy disclosed the differences between the CTS-lOOO's 32-

bit and 64-bit servers and consequent discrepancies in the CTS-lOOO's performance capabilities
in comparison to market leading 64-bit servers. For instance, Servergy failed to inform investors
that many software programs simply could not operate on the CTS-lOOO's 32-bit processor or
that a 64-bit processor allows for more efficient computation of complex data than a 32-bit
processor.
54.

Mapp and Servergy knew, or were severely reckless in failing to know, that the

CTS-lOOO's technology was outdated, incomparable to other servers they claimed it could
compete against, and undesirable to at least certain of its prospective customers. Indeed, after
Mapp permitted Koerr to test the CTS-1000, Koerr reported in March 2013 - a mere two months
into the WFG offering - that it was only interested in 64-bit servers. Facebook gave Servergy
the same feedback in the summer of 2013.
55.

Notably, Servergy no longer markets the CTS-1000 as a general purpose server

intended to compete with servers manufactured by market leaders but rather is generating
revenue using the device to offer secure, cloud-based data storage and other services.
B.

Mapp and Servergy misrepresented the CTS-lOOO's power consumption and
thermal output.

56.

Mapp and Servergy claimed that CTS-1 OOOs "literally help[ed] pay for

themselves by consuming up to 80% less power [and] cooling" than other servers. An early
iteration of this claim appeared in Servergy's CIM in 2009 and was repeatedly asserted by Mapp
in oral and written communications with investors and in Servergy's PPM. However, as Mapp
knew, Servergy only tested the CTS-1000 against one other, non-comparable Dell server
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COMPLAINT

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released nearly four years before the WFG offering launched. Hence, there was no basis for the
claim that the CTS-1000 consumed less power or produced less thermal output than other,
comparable servers.
57.

Not only were Mapp's and Servergy's power and thermal output claims baseless

and false, but they also falsely represented to investors that an independent lab confirmed the
claims. In reality, the lab they touted did not conduct comparable testing pitting the CTS-1000
against other servers. Instead, in October 2010, the lab merely tested the power consumption and
thermal output of an early CTS-1000 prototype board in isolation rather than in comparison to
any other server.
58.

To support the false claim that the CTS-1000 consumed up to 80% less power

than other servers, Servergy included the following deceptive chart in its PPM:
Model

IBM PS70 1

Cisco B200 M2

Dell
PowerEdge
Ml60X

HP ProLiant
BL420

CPU

8-Core

8-Core

8-Core

8-Core

8-Core

Hard Drive

4 x ITB

I x 300G8

2 x 146GB

I x ITB

2 x ITB

RAM

32G 8

32G8

192G8

96G8

32G8

Power Supply Quantity x
Watts I server(s)
= Watts per server

130W fo r each

= 130W/server

4 x 2980W I
14 servers
= 85 1W/server

4 x 2500W I
8 servers
= 1250W/server

6 x 2700W I
16 servers
= 10 12W/server

6 x 2400W I
8 servers
= 1800W/server

Dimensions

8.7 5in Wx
1.75 in H x
14 .00 in D

9.65 in W x
1.1 4 in H x
17.55 in D

16.5 in W x
1.95 in H x
24.40 in D

15.2 in Wx
2.00 in H x
19.20inD

7. 11 in W x
2.18inHx
20.37 in D

U Size

1/4 of IU

9U

6U

IOU

IOU

Weight

9. 0lbs

9.61bs

25.0lbs

24.51bs

14.0lbs

Ethernet

2 x I 0 Gb
2 x I Gb

Price

Enclosure Price

59.

Servergy
CTSIOO

server

Up To $9,500
no enclosure
required
Not required.
$0

Dual Port I GbE

Dual
Port
IOGbE

Dual Port I GbE

Up $13,000 +
enclosure

$ 13,000 +
enclosure

$ 12,000 +
enclosure

Up To $10,779

Up To SS,000

Up To $5,000

Dual Port IGbE

$30,000 +
Enclosure
Up To $30,517

Without any technical qualifications or a college degree, and having been most

recently employed as a truck driver, Will Mapp - not Servergy's engineers - created the chart at
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COMPLAINT

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Mapp's direction. Mapp - again, not Servergy's engineers - reviewed and edited the chart and
ultimately approved its inclusion in the PPM and investor presentations.
60.

The chart was inherently misleading because it attempted to compare the CTS-

1000, a 32-bit rack server, to 64-bit blade servers. Although not disclosed in the PPM or
elsewhere, Servergy's comparisons were meaningless absent additional, material information
identifying the differences in capabilities between the CTS-1000 and more powerful blade
servers - differences Mapp and Servergy either knew or were reckless in not knowing but did not
disclose.
61.

Furthermore, Servergy had no way of knowing how much power the IBM, Cisco,

Dell, or Hewlett-Packard blade servers actually consumed because Servergy had not (a)
performed or commissioned testing required to determine power consumption under varied
workload conditions; (b) made use of publicly available tools to estimate power consumption of
such blade servers under varied software configurations and workloads; or (c) considered that the
blade servers in the chart all featured redundant power supplies in case of power failure, while
the CTS-1000 did not. Instead, Will Mapp prepared the chart simply by using the blade servers'
power supply ratings to represent their power consumption even though a server's power supply
rating is not a useful comparison metric because a server may operate at less than half of its
maximum output capacity.
IV.

WHITE PROMOTED SERVERGY'S STOCK IN EXCHANGE FOR
UNDISCLOSED COMMISSIONS, SOLICITED UNACCREDITED INVESTORS,
AND ULTIMATELY JOINED THE COMPANY'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS
62.

From April 2010 through April 2012, White raised more than $1.4 million from

over 150 individuals who invested with Servergy, many of whom were unaccredited. In return,
Mapp paid White approximately $66,000 in commissions.
SEC v. Mapp, et al.

COMPLAINT

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A.

White failed to disclose that he was being paid to recruit new investors.

63.

After meeting Mapp in November 2009, White agreed to solicit his friends,

family, and insurance firm clients to invest in Servergy through three joint ventures he formed
and managed, Dominion Joint Venture Group 1, 2, and 3, respectively (collectively, "Dominion
N s"), in exchange for cash commissions Mapp offered him.

64.

In hundreds of emails soliciting investors, White parroted many of Mapp's false

and misleading statements, such as claiming that Servergy was on the cusp of taking orders and
that Servergy's technology had been validated by an independent laboratory. Yet while he made
material statements to prospective investors regarding investments with Servergy, including
distributing Mapp's promotional materials, White failed to tell investors that he was being paid
to promote Servergy, despite an obligation to do so.
65.

Although White regularly solicited over 150 investors to purchase Servergy

securities through the Dominion N s from April 2010 through April 2012 for which Servergy
paid him approximately $66,000 in commissions, White was not registered with the Commission
as a broker.

B.

Mapp and White knew that Dominion JV investors were unaccredited.

66.

Certain securities that are exempt from registration with the Commission may

only be offered to, or purchased by, persons who are accredited investors. Generally, an
accredited investor is someone who meets certain thresholds of income or net worth such that he
or she may be identified as a sophisticated person who can bear the economic risk of investing in
unregistered securities.

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67.

Some Dominion N investors were unaccredited and unsophisticated, as Mapp

and White each knew. As a preliminary matter, White himself was unaccredited yet he invested
his own money in a Dominion N before he was appointed to Servergy' s Board.
68.

Further, White required investors to sign separate subscription agreements with

the Dominion N s, some of which indicated that investors were unaccredited and had never
invested in a private company.
69.

In addition, White's email communications with investors indicated that he knew

they were unsophisticated and could not afford a risky investment. For example, he knew some
investors had $2,000 or less to invest, and he was explicitly informed that one nineteen-year old
investor had no investment experience.
70.

Based on communications with White, Mapp knew at least some Dominion N

investors were not accredited and that certain investors could only invest $1,000 or $2,000.
71.

For instance, when White informed Mapp that he had recruited investors who

wanted to invest directly in Servergy - as opposed to investing through the Dominion Ns Mapp informed White that Servergy could only accept direct investments from accredited
investors.
72.

Similarly, an unaccredited investor from whom Servergy refused a direct

investment informed Mapp via email that he intended to invest through a Dominion JV.

C.

White continued to recruit investors as an independent member of
Servergy's board of directors.

73.

In addition to paying White to recruit new Servergy investors, Mapp enlisted him

to join Servergy' s board of directors. White accepted, and joined Servergy' s board in September
2011. Yet, despite his new title as a purportedly independent director of the company, White

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continued to recruit new investors in exchange for undisclosed commissions until April 2012.
White resigned from Servergy' s board in September 2015.
V.

PAXTON PROMOTED SERVERGY IN EXCHANGE FOR UNDISCLOSED
COMMISSIONS
74.

In July 2011, Paxton raised $840,000 for Servergy through his efforts to promote

the company and recruit investors in exchange for an undisclosed payment of 100,000 shares of
Servergy common stock.
75.

On July 12, 2011, Mapp met Paxton - then a member of the Texas House of

Representatives - for the first time to discuss Servergy. They met at Paxton's law office in
McKinney, Texas and, during their meeting, Mapp offered to pay Paxton a 10% commission for
any investors Paxton recruited to invest with Servergy.
76.

Following their meeting, Mapp emailed Paxton and reiterated his offer to pay

Paxton either with Servergy common stock or a combination of cash and stock. In his email
response to Mapp's offer, Paxton confirmed "I will get to work."
77.

Within ten days of his meeting with Mapp, Paxton organized and invited at least

seven prospective investors to an investment pitch at Servergy's office that took place on July
22, 2011. Paxton attended that meeting and also introduced Mapp to at least five additional
prospective investors by telephone and email the same day.
78.

Among the people Paxton recruited were his friends, business associates, law firm

clients, and members of an investment group to which he belonged. Despite a duty to do so,
Paxton knowingly or recklessly failed to inform the individuals he recruited that he was being
compensated to promote Servergy to investors.
79.

Paxton told prospective investors that he had met with Servergy's management

and determined that it was a great company and the investment presented an interesting
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opportunity. He also forwarded, and was included on, correspondence advancing materially
false claims regarding the nature of Servergy's technology and business prospects. While Paxton
possessed no technical expertise and did not know whether any of Servergy's claims were true,
he conducted no due diligence to confirm, clarify, or correct Servergy's claims.
80.

On or around July 13, 2011, Paxton promoted Servergy to a fellow state

representative who participated in the investment group with Paxton and others ("Investor 1").
81.

Based on prior dealings in the group, members trusted each other to consider the

interests of the group as a whole and not exploit one another for a member's personal benefit.
Similarly, prior experiences in the group established that the member who recommended an
investment would monitor the investment going forward and represent the group's interests.
Despite a duty to do so, Paxton knowingly or recklessly failed to inform any member of the
investment group that he was being compensated by Servergy for recruiting investors.
82.

After initially recommending Servergy to Investor 1 and introducing him to Mapp

on July 22, 2011, Paxton followed up with Investor 1 to further encourage his investment in
Servergy. Investor 1 considered Paxton a personal friend and, based on their friendship and
membership in the investment group, believed Paxton was also investing in Servergy. As time
passed and Mapp's representations about product shipment failed to come to fruition, Investor 1
grew worried about his investment. In early 2013, Paxton organized and attended a meeting with
Investor 1 and Mapp, at which Mapp lulled Investor 1 with false claims that the company was
flush with purchase orders. Paxton did nothing to determine whether Mapp's claims were true.
Investor 1 would not have invested in Servergy had he known Paxton was being paid to promote
the company.

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83.

Paxton used pressure tactics to persuade another member of his investment group

("Investor 2") to make a hasty decision to invest in Servergy. Due to a travel-related scheduling
conflict that prevented him from meeting the investment deadline, Investor 2 did not initially
intend to invest with Servergy. But when Paxton learned of Investor 2's decision, he placed an
unscheduled and unsolicited late night call to Investor 2 on July 22, 2011. During the call,
Paxton persuaded Investor 2 to change his mind by claiming Servergy presented a great
investment opportunity for which the offering price would double if Investor 2 did not invest by
July 30, 2011. Investor 2 did not know, however, that Paxton stood to personally benefit at all,
and even more if Investor 2 immediately invested, because any stock Paxton earned as sales
commission before Servergy increased its share price would become more valuable with the
price hike. Based on his conversation with Paxton, Investor 2 changed his mind and decided to
immediately invest $150,000 with Servergy. Investor 2 would not have invested had he known
Paxton was being paid to promote the company.
84.

Paxton's involvement did not end after he promoted Servergy and introduced

prospective investors to Mapp. He personally followed up with the people he introduced to
Servergy to ensure they invested. In addition, Mapp included Paxton on email communications
soliciting the individuals Paxton recruited including, but not limited to, providing them the CIM
and other materials.
85.

On or about July 23, 2011, Paxton forwarded one of Mapp's solicitation emails

directly to a prospective investor and personally offered to answer any of the individual's
questions. In the underlying communication Paxton forwarded, Mapp pressured the prospective
investor to purchase Servergy common stock within a week and falsely claimed Servergy's
technology was "3rd party validated by world class testing lab" and resulted in "80% savings for
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power, cooling and space costs." Paxton did nothing to determine whether Mapp's claims were
true.

86.

By July 28, 2011, five of the twelve prospective investors Paxton had already

recruited invested a total of $840,000 in Servergy. As payment for his successful efforts,
Servergy issued a stock certificate to Paxton for 100,000 shares on August 5, 2011.
87.

During the Commission's investigation, Paxton claimed the shares were a gift

from Mapp. According to Paxton, he met Mapp at a Dairy Queen restaurant in McKinney,
Texas in July or August 2011, intending to invest $100,000 of his own money in Servergy. But,
according to Paxton, Mapp refused his investment and stated, "I can't take your money. God
doesn't want me to take your money." Consequently, Paxton claims, he later accepted the shares
as a gift.
88.

The shares were not a gift but, instead, a sales commission paid to compensate

Paxton for the investors he recruited. Paxton knowingly or recklessly failed to disclose the
commission to investors despite an obligation to do so.
89.

Although never executed, Mapp asked Paxton to sign a subscription agreement

indicating that the shares were given in exchange for services.
90.

Servergy recorded the stock issuance to Paxton as payment for "services."

91.

In multiple emails, Mapp and Paxton discussed payment in cash or stock as

compensation for Paxton's referrals that purchased Servergy's securities.
92.

Servergy issued Paxton a Form-1099 in the amount of $100,000 for the 2011 tax

year.

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93.

Following Paxton's success in helping Servergy raise $840,000, Mapp emailed

him on September 12, 2011, and again on October 4, 2011, to renew his offer to continue paying
Paxton to recruit new investors.
94.

Following Mapp's reiteration of his intent to pay Paxton commissions m

exchange for his fundraising efforts, Paxton continued to market Servergy in both oral and
written communications to prospective investors until at least September 27, 2011, including
inviting at least three additional investors to attend a Servergy sales webinar and scheduling a
lunch with at least one prospective investor for the express purpose of generating interest in
Servergy.
95.

Although Paxton regularly solicited investors on Servergy's behalf from at least

July 12, 2011 to September 27, 2011 and was paid a commission in the form of 100,000 shares
of Servergy's common stock for raising $840,000, he was never registered with the Commission
as a broker.
96.

At no time did Paxton disclose his compensation agreement with Servergy to

prospective investors, despite an obligation to do so.
CLAIMS FOR RELIEF
FIRST CLAIM FOR RELIEF
Fraud in the Offer or Sale of Securities in
Violation of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act
(Against Mapp, Paxton, White and Servergy)
97.

The SEC incorporates the allegations in paragraphs 1-96 as if fully set forth

98.

Mapp, Paxton, White, and Servergy, in the offer or sale of securities, employed

herein.

devices, schemes, or artifices to defraud, obtained money or property by means of untrue

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statements or omissions, and engaged in transactions, practices, or courses of business which
operate or would operate as a fraud or deceit, in violation of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act.
99.

Mapp, Paxton, White, and Servergy violated, and unless restrained and enjoined,

they will continue to violate Section 17(a) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77q(a)].
SECOND CLAIM FOR RELIEF
Fraud in Connection with the Purchase or Sale of Securities
Violation of Section lO(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule lOb-5 thereunder
(Against Mapp. Paxton, White and Servergy)
100.

The SEC incorporates the allegations in paragraphs 1-96 as if fully set forth

101.

Mapp, Paxton, White, and Servergy employed a device, scheme, or artifice to

herein.

defraud, made untrue statements or omissions of material facts, and engaged in an act, practice,
or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit upon any person, in
connection with the purchase or sale of any security, in violation of Section lO(b) of the
Exchange Act and Rule lOb-5 thereunder.
102.

Mapp, Paxton, White, and Servergy violated, and unless restrained and enjoined,

they will continue to violate Section lO(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule
lOb-5 thereunder [17 C.F .R. § 240. lOb-5].
THIRD CLAIM FOR RELIEF
Offers and Sales of Unregistered Securities
Violation of Section 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act
(Against Mapp, White and Servergy)
103.

The SEC incorporates the allegations in paragraphs 1-96 as if fully set forth

104.

Mapp, White, and Servergy, directly or indirectly, sold securities when no

herein.

registration statement was in effect with the SEC as to such securities, and offered to sell
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securities when no registration statement had been filed with the SEC as to such securities.
There were no applicable exemptions from registration with regard to Mapp's, White's, and
Servergy's sales and offers to sell securities.
105.

Mapp, White and Servergy have violated, and unless restrained and enjoined, they

will continue to violate Section 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77e(a) and (c)].
FOURTH CLAIM FOR RELIEF
Anti-Touting Violation of Section 17(b) of the Securities Act
(Against White and Paxton)
106.

The SEC incorporates the allegations in paragraphs 1-96 as if fully set forth

107.

White and Paxton, by use or means or instrumentalities of interstate commerce or

herein.

of the mails, published, gave publicity to, and circulated communications describing a security
for consideration received or to be received, directly or indirectly, from an issuer, without fully
disclosing the receipt of such consideration and the amount thereof in violation of Section 17(b)
of the Securities Act.
108.

White and Paxton violated, and unless restrained and enjoined, will continue to

violate Section 17(b) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77q(b)].
FIFTH CLAIM FOR RELIEF
Offers and Sal~s of Securities by an Unregistered Broker
Violation of Section lS(a)(l) of the Exchange Act
(Against White and Paxton)
109.

The SEC incorporates the allegations in paragraphs 1-96 as if fully set forth

110.

White and Paxton while engaged in the business of effecting transactions in

herein.

securities for the account of others, made use of the mails or the means or instrumentalities of
interstate commerce to effect transactions in, or to induce or attempt to induce the purchase or
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sale of, a security without being registered in accordance with Section 15(a)(l) of the Exchange
Act.
111.

White and Paxton violated, and unless restrained and enjoined will in the future

violate, Section 15(a)(l) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78o(a)(l)].

RELIEF REQUESTED
WHEREFORE, the SEC respectfully requests that this Court enter a judgment:
I.

Finding that each of the Defendants committed the violations alleged in this Complaint;
II.

Permanently enjoining pursuant to Rule 65(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure the
following Defendants, their agents, servants, employees, attorneys, and all persons in active
concern or participation with them, from directly or indirectly violating the following laws:
A.

Mapp from further violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act [15 U .S.C. §

77q(a)], Section lO(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule lOb-5 thereunder [17
C.F.R. § 240.lOb-5], and Sections 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77e(a) and (c)];
B.

White from further violations of Sections 17(a) and (b) of the Securities Act [15

U.S.C. § 77q(a) and (b)], Section lO(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule lOb-5
thereunder [17 C.F.R. § 240.lOb-5], and Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78o(d)];
C.

Paxton from further violations of Sections 17(a) and (b) of the Securities Act [15

U.S.C. § 77q(a) and (b)], Section lO(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule lOb-5
thereunder [17 C.F.R. § 240.lOb-5], and Section 15(a) ofthe Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78o(d)];
and

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D.

Servergy from further violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C.

§ 77q(a)], Section lO(b) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b)] and Rule lOb-5 thereunder [17
C.F.R. § 240.lOb-5], and Sections 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77e(a) and (c)];
III.

Ordering Mapp, White, and Paxton to disgorge any ill-gotten gains or unjust enrichment
realized by each of them resulting from the conduct alleged in this Complaint, plus prejudgment
interest thereon;
IV.

Ordering each of the Defendants to pay an appropriate civil monetary penalty pursuant to
Section 20(d) of the Securities Act [15 U.S.C. § 77t(d)] and Section 2l(d)(3) of the Exchange
Act [15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(3)];

v.
Retaining jurisdiction over this action to implement and carry out the terms of all
orders and decrees that may be entered, or to entertain any suitable application or motion for
additional relief within the jurisdiction of this Court; and

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VI.

Granting such other and further relief as this Court deems just and appropriate.

Dated: April 11, 2016

Respectfully submitted,
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE CO
ISS ON

Illinois Bar No. 6272325
Jessica B. Magee
Texas Bar No. 24037757
Samantha S. Martin
Texas Bar No. 24065090
United States Securities and
Exchange Commission
Burnett Plaza, Suite 1900
801 Cherry Street, Unit 18
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Telephone: (817) 978 -1410
Facsimile: (817) 978-4927
guldem@sec.gov
Attorneys for Plaintiff United States
Securities and Exchange Commission

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COMPLAINT

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