Author

Mark W. Pugsley

Firm Website: https://www.pugsleywood.com/

Email: Mark@pugsleywood.com

Phone: 801-370-9800

Mark Pugsley has been handling securities disputes, financial fraud and whistleblower cases for over 30 years.

His whistleblower practice primarily involves preparing and filing whistleblower tips with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), he also handles FINRA arbitrations with significant losses and other types of investment disputes.

Mark is primarily based in our Utah office, the state which boasts the largest number of Ponzi schemes per capita in the country. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Plaintiffs, and Martindale Hubbell as one of the top securities lawyers in the country. He is licensed to practice law in Utah, Washington and California.

Mark represents whistleblowers in a number of high-profile ongoing cases, including the whistleblowers in the Washakie Renewable Energy scam in which executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges in a $1 billion biodiesel tax fraud scheme.  He also represents the whistleblowers in the Nikola Motors case who uncovered widespread fraud by the company and CEO, Trevor Milton.  The whistleblower report to the SEC in the Nikola case led to a $125 million settlement by the company with the SEC, and Mr. Milton was charged civilly and criminally with securities fraud, among other charges. Another of his whistleblower clients uncovered an ongoing $200 million Ponzi scheme that led to civil and criminal actions by the DOJ, SEC and State regulators.  These cases are ongoing.

Prior to founding the law firm of Pugsley & Wood, Mark was a shareholder at the law firm of Ray Quinney & Nebeker in Salt Lake City, where he worked for 23 years. Mark is a recognized expert in the area of securities fraud and has written and spoken extensively on whistleblower law, Ponzi schemes and affinity fraud for many years.

Honors & Awards

Mark has been recognized by the following rating publications:

The Best Lawyers in America© Tier 1 Utah for Securities Law since 2008 in the following categories:

  • Litigation – Securities (Lawyer of the Year, Utah in 2016 and in 2023)
  • Securities Regulation (Lawyer of the Year, Utah in 2013)
  • Corporate Law

Super Lawyers

  • Highly recommended for Securities Litigation (2010-2022)
  • Top 100 in Mountain States Region (2012)

Benchmark Plaintiff

  • Rated as “Highly Recommended” for Securities Litigation

Martindale-Hubbell

AV Preeminent (5.0) rating.