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by Mike Caswell

It has been eight years since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's case over the Jammin' Java Corp. pump-and-dump concluded, but a legal battle over money allegedly connected to the scheme is under way in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The SEC case featured Kelowna promoter Shane Whittle and the promotion of a coffee brand that included the name of the late singer Bob Marley. It ended with most of the defendants, including Mr. Whittle, settling out of court in 2017, without admitting any wrongdoing.

One loose end remains, however. The B.C. civil forfeiture office has been attempting to seize $583,114 (Canadian) and $2.97-million (U.S.) deposited in the account of since-disbarred Vancouver lawyer Ron Pelletier. The civil forfeiture office claims that the money represents proceeds of the Jammin' Java scheme and should be subject to forfeiture.

The legal battle over the money is set out in a court ruling handed down on Dec. 22, 2025. The case centres around Kevin Miller, a resident of Malta who was one of the defendants in the Jammin' Java case. The SEC said that Mr. Miller owned a Marshall Islands entity that made $8.83-million selling shares amidst a misleading promotion. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.) The SEC never attempted to recover that money and settled the case out of court in 2017, with Mr. Miller agreeing to disgorge $783,369 plus $116,631 in interest. In settling the case, Mr. Miller did not admit to any wrongdoing.

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