Hunter Wise Commodities
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA United States-based wholesale precious-metals trader and financier that also provided back-office accounting services before becoming the subject of major federal regulatory litigation.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Hunter Wise Commodities, LLC was a privately held United States company involved in wholesale precious-metals trading, financing, and related administrative services. The company was formed in 2007 and was based in Spring Valley, Nevada, with additional offices in Irvine, California. Its operating structure included Hunter Wise Credit, LLC, Hunter Wise Trading, LLC, and Hunter Wise Services, LLC, which supported its financing, trading, and service activities. The business presented itself as a wholesale commodities intermediary and financier rather than as a conventional consumer-facing retail brand. Its stated activities included precious-metals transactions and back-office accounting support for clients. The company's business model and the legal characterization of its transactions became central issues in federal litigation during 2012 and 2013, particularly over whether its dealings with retail customers constituted regulated transactions under the Commodity Exchange Act and amendments introduced through the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In September 2012, Hunter Wise Commodities sought a declaratory judgment in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, asking the court to determine that its activities complied with the Commodity Exchange Act. The filing reflected the company's position that the regulatory authorities were applying the statute beyond its proper scope. In December 2012, however, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a complaint in the Southern District of Florida alleging that Hunter Wise and related parties had engaged in unlawful activity. The company publicly rejected the allegations, arguing that the CFTC had exceeded its jurisdiction and inaccurately described the transactions. The dispute escalated in February 2013, when the Southern District of Florida ordered the company’s assets frozen. In May 2014, the court found Hunter Wise Commodities, three affiliated companies, and executives Fred Jager and Harold Edward Martin Jr. liable for defrauding thousands of retail customers. The defendants were ordered to pay $52.6 million in restitution and $55.4 million in civil monetary penalties. These proceedings are the defining public event in the company's history and substantially changed its standing from that of a specialist commodities intermediary to that of a failed or legally impaired enterprise associated with federal enforcement action. Public reference material identifies Fred Jager as chief executive officer and Harold Edward Martin as president and chief operating officer. Detailed information about the company's later operations, continuing corporate status, ownership, website, product branding, and any post-judgment business activity is not established in the supplied reference material.
History
Hunter Wise Commodities, LLC was established in 2007 as a privately held commodities business headquartered in Spring Valley, Nevada. The company also maintained offices in Irvine, California. Its business was centered on wholesale precious-metals trading and financing, supplemented by back-office accounting services for clients. The company operated through several wholly owned subsidiaries, including Hunter Wise Credit, LLC, Hunter Wise Trading, LLC, and Hunter Wise Services, LLC. The company's public history is dominated by a regulatory dispute concerning the legal status of its transactions with retail customers. In September 2012, Hunter Wise filed for declaratory relief in the Northern District of Illinois. It sought a ruling that its activities complied with the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The action indicated that the company viewed the regulatory controversy as a question of statutory interpretation and agency jurisdiction. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission responded in December 2012 by filing a complaint in the Southern District of Florida. The CFTC alleged that Hunter Wise and associated defendants were engaged in unlawful conduct. Hunter Wise publicly denied the allegations and asserted that the agency had overreached its authority and mischaracterized the nature of the transactions. The dispute subsequently moved into a more consequential enforcement phase. On February 25, 2013, the Southern District of Florida froze Hunter Wise Commodities' assets. The court scheduled a trial on the CFTC's claims for February 2014. In May 2014, the court ruled against Hunter Wise Commodities, three related companies, Fred Jager, and Harold Edward Martin Jr., finding that they had defrauded thousands of retail customers. The judgment included $52.6 million in restitution and $55.4 million in civil monetary penalties. The case effectively defines the company's documented legacy. Although Hunter Wise was organized as a wholesale precious-metals trader, financier, and service provider, its later public identity became associated with federal commodities regulation, asset seizure, customer losses, and civil enforcement. The available reference material does not establish a subsequent operating company, successor brand, acquisition, continuing website, or confirmed legal dissolution. Its ultimate corporate status is therefore recorded as unknown.
- 2014
Liability judgment and monetary sanctions
[1]The court found the company and associated defendants liable for defrauding thousands of retail customers and ordered restitution and civil penalties.
- 2013
Assets frozen by federal court
[1]The Southern District of Florida ordered the company's assets frozen during the federal enforcement proceedings.
- 2012
Declaratory judgment action filed
[1]The company sought a federal declaration that its activities complied with the Commodity Exchange Act and relevant Dodd–Frank amendments.
- 2012
CFTC enforcement complaint
[1]The Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a complaint alleging unlawful activities by Hunter Wise and related parties.
- 2007
Company formed
[1]Hunter Wise Commodities, LLC was formed as a privately held precious-metals trading and financing company.
Products and positioning
A wholesale precious-metals intermediary and financier serving clients through trading, credit, and administrative support subsidiaries.
Commodities trading · 2007
Wholesale precious-metals trading
Hunter Wise Commodities operated as a wholesale precious-metals trader. The available material does not identify specific metals, trading venues, brands, contract formats, or customer segments beyond describing the company as a wholesale intermediary whose transactions later became the subject of federal regulatory litigation.
Commodity finance
Precious-metals financing
Through Hunter Wise Credit, LLC and its broader corporate structure, the company provided financing connected with its commodities activities. The reference material does not provide detailed terms, product names, underwriting practices, or evidence of continued availability after the federal asset freeze.
Business services
Back-office accounting services
Hunter Wise offered back-office accounting services to clients, supported by Hunter Wise Services, LLC. These services formed an administrative component of the business alongside trading and financing. Specific software, service packages, and client accounts are not identified in the supplied sources.
Controversies
2014
Finding that thousands of retail customers were defrauded
A federal court found Hunter Wise Commodities, three related companies, and two executives liable for defrauding thousands of retail customers. The court ordered $52.6 million in restitution and $55.4 million in civil penalties.
2012
CFTC allegations of unlawful commodities activity
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission alleged that Hunter Wise Commodities and related parties engaged in unlawful activities involving commodities transactions. Hunter Wise denied the allegations and argued that the regulator had exceeded its jurisdiction.
Brand decisions
2013
Federal asset freezeOtherBackground
The CFTC litigation alleged unlawful activity and was pending before the Southern District of Florida.
Action taken
The court ordered Hunter Wise Commodities' assets frozen on February 25, 2013.
Aftermath
The freeze constrained the company's ability to operate while the court considered the enforcement claims, which ultimately resulted in a liability judgment and monetary sanctions.
2012
Challenge to regulatory jurisdictionOtherBackground
Hunter Wise disputed the application of the Commodity Exchange Act and its Dodd–Frank amendments to the company's transactions.
Action taken
The company filed a declaratory judgment action seeking a ruling that its activities were compliant with federal commodities law.
Aftermath
The CFTC subsequently filed its own enforcement complaint, and the dispute proceeded in federal court.
Sources1 sources
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