Kim Kardashian to pay $1.26m to settle crypto charges

theguardian.com:

Kim Kardashian has paid US regulators more than $1m to settle charges for failing to disclose that she was paid to promote a crypto asset in a post on her Instagram page.

The reality TV star, social media influencer and entrepreneur, who is estimated to be worth $1.8bn (£1.6bn), has agreed to pay the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) $1.26m to settle the charges.

She was paid $250,000 to post about crypto security tokens sold by EthereumMax on her Instagram account in June last year. Kardashian asked her then 220 million Instagram followers: “Are you guys into crypto????”

The post, which featured the hashtag “#ad”, included a link to the EthereumMax website, which gives users instructions about how to buy the tokens.

Kardashian’s failure to disclose the payment was a violation of federal securities laws, the SEC said.

“This case is a reminder that, when celebrities or influencers endorse investment opportunities, including crypto asset securities, it doesn’t mean that those investment products are right for all investors,” Gary Gensler, the chairof the SEC.

Karshian, who has more than 330 million Instagram followers, has agreed not to promote crypto assets for three years and cooperate with the SEC’s investigation. However, she has neither admitted to nor denied the regulator’s findings.

“Kardashian fully cooperated with the SEC from the very beginning and she remains willing to do whatever she can to assist the SEC in this matter,” said a lawyer representing the star.

“She wanted to get this matter behind her to avoid a protracted dispute. The agreement she reached with the SEC allows her to do that so that she can move forward with her many different business pursuits.”

Last year, Charles Randell, then the chair of the