“Hereby confers upon Aureus Revenue Group LLC the recognition of S&P 500 Index Fund For having satisfied all the requirements according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission rules.”

💡 This fabricated language created a false impression of federal approval, convincing investors that Aureus was a legitimate, CFTC-regulated entity.

“In witness whereof, this license number: 837C-D6F8-5480-4CCD-A596-2803-6F30-0F81 is granted by authority at this month of October, in the year two thousand eighteen.”

💡 The CFTC never issued this thirty-two-digit alphanumeric license number, yet Aureus used it on multiple documents to feign regulatory compliance.

“in exchange for a 3.75% monthly rate of profit[.]”

💡 This written guarantee on an official-looking Certificate of Authenticity misled investors about the likelihood of gain and the possibility of loss.

“unauthorized use of the warranty check will imply the loss of your benefits and you will be subject to criminal penalties for FELONY and blockages for future commercial and/or financial transactions in the USA.”

💡 Matos used the threat of felony prosecution to deter investors from depositing their warranty checks and withdrawing their capital, exploiting fear of legal consequences.

“Dear member: Aureus Revenue Group LLC … CFTC License Number: 837C-D6F8-5480-4CCD-A596-2803-6F30-0F81 This letter of intention is to inform you that your S&P500 Index Fund is going to be subject to Audit as of date of this missive.”

💡 This fabricated correspondence, complete with counterfeit letterhead and the fake license number, was designed to delay investor withdrawals and maintain the fraud.

“Usually, it doesn’t take no longer than 30 business days to make the review, but no withdrawals of any kind can be made during the process; however, the possibility of make deposits and even trading buy/sell transactions, remains in force, without any inconvenience, so, the benefits will continue showing up.”

💡 The fake audit letter prohibited withdrawals for at least a month while encouraging new deposits, allowing Aureus to continue collecting funds even as the pool collapsed.

“This letter of intention is to inform you that your S&P500 Index Fund Internal Audit was completed in a successful way. … your release date has been scheduled as the business day on October 03rd 2022, from that moment onwards you will have the availability to fulfill the pending commitments with your value customers.”

💡 This follow-up fabrication extended the timeline, preventing a run on the pool and buying Matos additional weeks to solicit new deposits or spend existing funds.

“Remember that your clients are absolutely protected by the CFTC and their capital it is not at risk regardless of the audit findings.”

💡 This statement falsely reassured investors that federal regulators guaranteed their capital, when in fact Aureus was unregistered and CFTC investor protections did not apply.

“On or about September 25, 2022, Matos showed a Pool Participant’s representative false account information that indicated the Aureus Pool had a balance of approximately $3 million in a futures trading account.”

💡 This deliberately false display convinced investors that their funds were safe and growing, even though the actual balance never exceeded $10,000 during that period.

“Matos asserted that Aureus’s futures trading account was hacked by an external group and that the hack has prevented him from taking money out to repay Pool Participants. Matos said as a result of the hack he could not return any funds, and investors will have to wait until the intruders occupying the account ‘leave,’ so he can recover the money and give it back to Pool Participants.”

💡 This fabricated hacker story externalized blame, portraying Aureus as a victim rather than a perpetrator, and indefinitely postponed investor redemptions.

“On or about July 4, 2023, Matos also used at least one Zoom video conference to discuss a crime called ‘debt harassment’ and threateningly implied to Pool Participants that by asking for their capital back they were committing that crime.”

💡 Matos weaponized the threat of criminal prosecution to silence victims and discourage them from seeking legal recourse or demanding refunds.

“Matos misappropriated more than $200,000 from the Aureus Pool for the benefit of himself and his family to pay for, among other things, rent on his home, groceries, restaurant meals, travel, taxes, and contributions to his personal securities brokerage account.”

💡 This direct conversion of investor funds into personal expenses demonstrates that Aureus operated not as an investment vehicle but as a vehicle for personal enrichment.

“Defendants paid Pool Participants fictitious monthly profits to keep the scheme alive by convincing Pool Participants to contribute more to the Aureus Pool or refrain from withdrawing their contributions.”

💡 These Ponzi-style payouts created the illusion of profitability, inducing victims to reinvest or recruit new participants, thereby compounding losses.

“Many of the individuals Matos solicited were immigrants to the United States from Spanish-speaking countries.”

💡 Aureus deliberately targeted a vulnerable population with language barriers and limited familiarity with U.S. financial regulations, exploiting their trust and desire for economic security.

“Since the beginning of the Relevant Period, after paying redemptions to Pool Participants of approximately $875,000, the net loss to all Pool Participants is at least $650,000.”

💡 This quantifies the total financial harm inflicted on at least 32 families, representing life savings and future security vaporized by fraud.