The SEC said it found that Luckin "intentionally and materially overstated its reported revenue and expenses and materially understated its net loss in its publicly disclosed financial statements in 2019.". But Luckin said in early April that as much as 2.2 billion yuan ($310 million) in sales last year were fabricated by its Chief Operating Officer Jian Liu and other staff, who had been suspended while the company carried out its investigation. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox, Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.Â, © 2020 CNBC LLC. Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. The SEC charged the company with defrauding investors by misstating its revenue, expenses, and net operating loss to appear to have been more profitable and … The Chinese rival to Starbucks fabricated more than $300 million in retail sales, the SEC said in a statement. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. Luckin Coffee Inc. (Chinese: 瑞幸咖啡; pinyin: Ruìxìng Kāfēi) is a Chinese coffee company and coffeehouse chain. The fraud was discovered during an audit and the company reported the situation and cooperated with the SEC, it said. The SEC charged the company with defrauding investors by misstating its revenue, expenses, and net operating loss to appear to have been more profitable and growing faster than it actually was, and to meet the company’s earnings estimates. Luckin Coffee Inc. has agreed to pay $180 million to settle regulatory claims that it cooked its books to make growth appear more robust and meet earnings targets. Luckin said the settlement would allow the company to continue with its business strategy after cooperating with the SEC and making remediation. The SEC and Luckin said the company had not admitted to or denied the allegations but agreed to a settlement, subject to court approval, that includes the payment of a $180 million penalty. NEW YORK - US securities regulators fined China's Luckin Coffee $180 million for defrauding investors over its financial performance, officials announced Wednesday. "The Company's Board of Directors and management are committed to a system of strong internal financial controls, and adhering to best practices for compliance and corporate governance," Guo added. "While there are challenges in our ability to effectively hold foreign issuers and their officers and directors accountable to the same extent as U.S. issuers and persons, we will continue to use all our available resources to protect investors when foreign issuers violate the federal securities laws," she said. Got a confidential news tip? In early January, its share price was about $50. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in the southeastern city of Xiamen, according to its website. Further, the SEC alleges that during the period of the fraud, Luckin raised more than $864 million from debt and equity investors. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in the southeastern city of Xiamen, according to its website. Key Points. 1:20-cv-10631 (S.D.N.Y. If you need help with the Public File, call 540-512-1558. Dive Brief: The Securities and Exchange Commission charged China-based Luckin Coffee with misstating its revenue, expenses and net operating loss to make it look like it was growing faster than it was. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. New York (CNN Business) China's Luckin Coffee (LK) had hopes of being as successful with American investors as its rival Starbucks. The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged China-based company Luckin Coffee Inc. with defrauding investors by materially misstating the company’s revenue, expenses, and net operating loss in an effort to falsely appear to achieve rapid growth and increased profitability and to meet the … China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. Luckin Coffee Inc.’s collapse from a stunning accounting scandal has prompted a stiff price tag from U.S. regulators: $180 million. It said the misconduct continued from April 2019 until January 2020. Most of its stores are small "pick-up" locations in office buildings or college campuses that serve for online orders' pickup and delivery. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says.The SEC charged the company with defrauding investors by misstating its revenue, expenses, and net operating loss to appear to have been more profitable and … The U.S. Securities and Commission (SEC) fine on the China-based rival to Starbucks comes after it said earlier this year that much of its 2019 sales were fabricated, sending its shares plunging and sparking an investigation by China's securities regulator and the SEC. The falsified numbers equate to about 40% of Luckin's annual sales projected by analysts, according to Refinitiv IBES data. In this May 18, 2019, photo, customers sit at a Luckin Coffee outlet in a shopping mall in Beijing. The SEC said some Luckin employees tried to hide the fraud by logging inflated expenses and entering false information in the company’s accounts. The SEC charged the company with defrauding investors by misstating its revenue, expenses, and net operating loss to appear to have been more profitable and … They now trade on the OTC Pink board, or Pink Open Market, the most speculative tier for trading of over-the-counter stocks. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. China's Luckin Coffee to pay $180 million fine in fraud case In this May 18, 2019, photo, customers sit at a Luckin Coffee outlet in a shopping mall in Beijing. filed Dec. 16, 2020) The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged China-based company Luckin Coffee Inc. with defrauding investors by materially misstating the company's revenue, expenses, and net operating loss in an effort to falsely appear to achieve … FILE - In this May 18, 2019, file photo, customers sit inside a Luckin Coffee shop at a shopping center in Beijing. Our online-offline model is built … "Luckin employees attempted to conceal the fraud by inflating the company's expenses by more than $190 million, creating a fake operations database, and altering accounting and bank records to reflect the false sales," the agency found. Luckin opened its first store in Beijing several years ago, challenging Starbucks' stronghold in the Chinese market by delivering coffee ordered using a mobile phone app. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein). Luckin opened its first store in Beijing several years ago, challenging Starbucks’ stronghold in the Chinese market by delivering coffee ordered using a mobile phone app. The U.S. market watchdog says China's Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges. It was founded in Beijing in 2017. Luckin Coffee (OTC: LKNCY) is the pioneer of a technology-driven new retail model to provide coffee and other products of high quality, high affordability, and high convenience to our customers. The SEC charged the company with defrauding investors by misstating its revenue, expenses, and net operating loss to appear to have been more profitable and … Luckin opened its first store in Beijing several years ago, challenging Starbucks' stronghold in the Chinese market by delivering coffee ordered using a mobile phone app. The SEC said the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority also cooperated with the investigation. China's Luckin Coffee to pay $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges. SEC said Luckin Coffee, once known as China’s answer to Starbucks, fabricated more than US$300 million in sales between April 2019 and January 2020. We want to hear from you. All Rights Reserved. ; The company agreed to pay $180 million as part of its settlement. Luckin has not admitted or denied the charges, the SEC said. The U.S. market watchdog says China's Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges. The amount could be offset by payments made to its investors as a result of bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings under way in the Cayman Islands. Luckin has not admitted or denied the charges, the SEC said. Founded in June 2017, Luckin had one of the most successful U.S. IPOs by a Chinese company last year, attracting interest from prominent U.S. investors, including long-only funds and hedge funds. During the time the fraudulent accounting was occurring, the company raised more than $864 million from debt and equity investors, the SEC complaint alleged. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. "This settlement with the SEC reflects our cooperation and remediation efforts, and enables the company to continue with the execution of its business strategy," Dr. Jinyi Guo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Luckin Coffee said in a statement. The SEC charged the company with defrauding investors by misstating its revenue, expenses, and net operating loss to appear to have been more profitable and … "Public issuers who access our markets, regardless of where they are located, must not provide false or misleading information to investors," SEC Director of Enforcement Stephanie Avakian said in a statement. Chinese coffee chain Luckin Coffee was listed in the U.S. last year. Our mission is to be part of everyone’s everyday life, starting with coffee. That plunged to well below $10 per share when it announced the accounting scandal in April. A Division of NBCUniversal. In this May 18, 2019, photo, customers sit at a Luckin Coffee outlet in a shopping mall in Beijing. The Xiamen-headquartered company, which delisted from Nasdaq at the end of June due to the accounting scandal, used related parties to create false sales transactions through three separate purchasing schemes, the SEC alleged. Luckin’s shares traded on the NASDAQ until July 13, 2020. Luckin Coffee shot itself in the foot after a sales fraud scandal emerged that implicated its top executives. China's Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a US$180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. Published Wed, Dec 16 2020 11:59 PM EST. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. China's Luckin Coffee to pay $180 million fine in fraud case December 17, 2020 (Mainichi Japan) In this May 18, 2019, photo, customers sit at a Luckin Coffee outlet in a shopping mall in Beijing. Established in October 2017, Luckin Coffee has quickly become the second largest coffee chain in China after Starbucks. Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges for "intentionally and materially" overstating its 2019 revenue and understating a net loss, U.S. regulators said on Wednesday. The transfer of funds to the security holders will be subject to approval by Chinese authorities. Luckin Coffee planned to reach 10,000 locations by the end of next year in a market valued at $5.8 billion. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180-million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. All rights reserved. As of January 2020 , it managed 4,507 stores and exceeded the number of Starbucks stores in China. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. China’s Luckin Coffee has agreed to pay a $180 million penalty to settle accounting fraud charges, the Securities and Exchange Commission says. "Luckin allegedly materially overstated its … People wearing face masks walk by a Luckin Coffee store on June 29, 2020 in Yichang, Hubei Province of China. The Securities and Exchange Commission charged the company with defrauding investors by misstating its revenue, expenses, and net operating loss to appear to have been more profitable and growing faster than it actually was, and to meet the company's earnings estimates. “The Company’s board of directors and management are committed to a system of strong internal financial controls, and adhering to best practices for compliance and corporate governance,” Jinyi Guo, Luckin’s chairman and CEO said in a statement. All rights reserved. Luckin Coffee Inc. , No. The company has agreed to pay the penalty, which may be offset by certain payments it makes to its security holders in connection with its provisional liquidation proceeding in the Cayman Islands. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. 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