Genius Group Updates on RICO Lawsuit
SINGAPORE, May 21, 2025 — (NYSE American: GNS) – Genius Group has announced that its legal team has submitted a revised complaint in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, against Peter Ritz and Michael Moe, the leading executives of LZGI International, Inc (“LZG”). The complaint, filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), seeks over $750 million in damages from the defendants for harm allegedly caused to Genius Group. This amount includes potential treble damages recoverable under federal law.
The updated complaint also names Michael Carter and John Clayton as defendants. Clayton is already facing Securities Fraud charges in a case brought by the United States and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in the United States District Court District of Utah, Central Division (Case No: 2:24-cv-918). The SEC alleges that Clayton and others were involved in a scheme to secretly accumulate and illegally sell stock in small, publicly traded companies, including LZGI. Genius Group asserts in its amended filing that both Carter and Clayton are part of the RICO enterprise linked to the LZGI transaction with the Company.
The RICO case centers on Genius Group’s claims that Ritz and Moe attempted to defraud the Company by making false statements intended to mislead the court. These actions allegedly led to a Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) and Preliminary Injunction (“PI”) that prevented Genius Group from raising capital and purchasing Bitcoin, with the aim of causing financial damage and extorting further funds from the Company.
On May 6, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit sided with Genius Group, granting a stay on the PI. The court stated, “Appellant has made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits and suffers clear irreparable injury absent a stay, warranting a stay pending appeal.”
In essence, the Court of Appeals’ decision allows Genius Group to immediately resume its regular business activities, including fundraising, share sales, Bitcoin purchases, and funding of its operations and growth strategies, pending the appeal’s outcome.
Following this favorable development, the Company is now concentrating on restructuring and recovering from the substantial damages incurred due to the TRO and PI over the preceding three months. It is also dedicated to recouping the damages, which have risen to $250 million. The Company is pursuing treble damages of $750 million in the RICO case.
Genius Group’s legal action against Ritz and Moe is being handled by attorneys Mark R. Basile, Esq. and Alyssa Feldman, Esq. of the Basile Law Firm P.C., a leading firm specializing in RICO litigation.
In other legal matters involving LZGI, Ritz, and Moe, Genius Group is collaborating with LZGI shareholders who have filed a Class Action lawsuit against LZGI, Ritz, and Moe for alleged violations of federal securities laws in the United States District Court Southern District of New York (Case No: 1:24-cv-07551). The Company is also cooperating with shareholders on a derivative lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit In and For Miami-Dade County, Florida (Case No: 2024-019773-CA-01), with Genius Group CEO Roger Hamilton providing an affidavit containing testimony against Ritz and Moe to support the LZGI Shareholders’ case.
Regarding the recent hacking of Mr. Hamilton’s X account, the Company worked directly with X to successfully recover and secure the account on May 20, 2025. The Company is continuing to investigate any potential links between this criminal activity and the Company’s progress in its various legal actions.
For more information on the Company’s RICO complaint (Case No: 1:25-cv-21496), please see the Company’s press release of April 4, 2025.
About Genius Group
Genius Group (NYSE: GNS) is a Bitcoin-focused company providing AI-driven education and acceleration solutions for the future of work. Through its Genius City model and online digital marketplace of AI training, AI tools, and AI talent, Genius Group serves 5.8 million users in over 100 countries. It offers personalized, entrepreneurial AI pathways that combine human talent with AI skills and AI solutions at the individual, enterprise, and government level. For more information, visit
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements can be identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “plan,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” or similar language. These forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks, trends, and uncertainties, many of which are difficult for the Company to predict and some of which it may not anticipate. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied. Readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on these statements and should consider the factors listed above, as well as the additional factors under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 20-F, as supplemented or amended by the Company’s Reports of a Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events, new information, or other changes. No information in this press release should be interpreted as any indication of the Company’s future revenues, results of operations, or stock price.
Contact
For enquiries, contact