Litigation Releases (Robert L. Murray, Jr.)

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 26550 / May 5, 2026

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert L. Murray, Jr.

, No. 22-cv-6684 (N.D. Ill. filed July 27, 2022)

SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgment in Alleged Investment Fraud Scheme that Targeted U.S. Navy Veterans and Active Duty Service Members

On May 4, 2026, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois entered a final judgment as to Robert L. Murray, Jr., a former U.S. Navy chief petty officer, in connection with the SEC's enforcement action against Murray for allegedly engaging in a fraudulent investment scheme that used Facebook to target U.S. Navy active duty service members, veterans, and reservists.

According to the SEC's complaint , from September 2020 through January 2022, Murray, formerly of North Canton, Ohio and Chicago, solicited prospective investors in a Facebook group for active duty, reservists, and veterans of the U.S. Navy. As further alleged, Murray, who acted as an unregistered investment adviser to a private pooled investment fund he controlled, Deep Dive Strategies, LLC, raised nearly $355,000 from approximately 44 investors in 14 states through the offer and sale of unregistered securities in the form of Deep Dive Strategies membership interests. According to the complaint, while Murray told investors that the fund would invest in publicly traded securities, in reality, Murray misappropriated nearly 42% of investors' funds for his personal expenses, including for gambling.

The final judgment permanently enjoins Murray from violating Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1), 206(2), and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and orders him to pay disgorgement in the amount of $112,271.71, which shall be deemed satisfied by the order of restitution entered against him in United States v. Murray, No. 22-cr-643 (N.D. Ill.), a parallel criminal matter.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Matthew T. Wissa and supervised by Jeffrey A. Shank of the SEC's Chicago Regional Office. Eric M. Phillips led the litigation