7/16/2025

A San Antonio “professional gambler” who became an investment adviser despite have no experience managing money allegedly ran a Ponzi scheme that defrauded clients out of $9 million, federal securities regulators allege.

The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Imer Gomez, 28, and his K&G Investment Solutions LLC and Helios Venture Fund LLC for securities law violations in connection with the alleged scheme. The agency seeks the return of client money.

Gomez “claimed to be an experienced trader who could provide clients monthly double-digit returns by trading securities on their behalf,” the SEC says with emphasis in the complaint that was filed Monday in federal court in San Antonio.

Gomez and his companies never used his client funds to trade securities. Instead, he used the money to “sustain a lavish lifestyle, make Ponzi payments, and fund unrelated business ventures,” the SEC says. In a Ponzi scheme,  early investors are paid with money from later ones rather than from any profits.

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He also allegedly loaned $666,000 that belonged to clients to his ex-girlfriend’s father, Eric Claxton, who, along with his wife, Heather Claxton, used the money to purchase real estate, the SEC says.

The Claxtons, both 48, are listed in the complaint as “relief defendants” — meaning they are not accused of wrongdoing but allegedly received ill-gotten gains. The SEC wants the San Antonio couple to turn over the money they allegedly received.

Gomez, who called himself a “professional gambler,” is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Mexico, according to the SEC. He lived in San Antonio during the time of the alleged scheme, which started in August 2021 and continued until September 2023, the SEC says in its complaint.

He used K&G and Helios to solicit clients to open purported investment advisory accounts that he would manage for them, the SEC says. None of them was registered with the SEC. It appears neither company was ever registered in any state, the agency adds.

Clients were told their investment portfolio would consist of “select exchange-traded funds and individual stocks.”

Gomez allegedly told clients that K&G and Helios were insured for up to 75% of the value of each client’s account. He told at least one client that he wanted to “help the Hispanic community build generational wealth.”

To conceal his fraud, the SEC alleges, Gomez sent clients fake account statements showing fictitious gains on accounts that were never actually created. 

He relied on existing clients to bring in new investors. 

 

“When Gomez ran out of client assets, he claimed that a ‘sudden liquidation’ essentially destroyed the business and prevented him from returning client funds,” the SEC alleges. “He further lulled clients by claiming Helios was finalizing a guaranteed bailout loan so he could return clients’ funds.

“No such loan existed, and clients never received their money back,” the SEC adds.

A call to Gomez was not answered. The Claxtons didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

 
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