The SEC Claims That Tai Lopez, Known for His 'Here in My Garage' YouTube Videos, Operated a Ponzi Scheme.

      Tai Lopez/YouTube

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      It might sound crazy to those who weren't on YouTube ten years ago, but this bespectacled figure, his Lamborghini, and his bookcase were absolutely everywhere around 2015. The “here in my garage” guy was a pre-roll advertisement on seemingly every YouTube video for a stretch of time, and he was referenced and parodied all over the internet. He made headlines again this week—and the news isn’t good.

      Tai Lopez, the man in the video who claimed to be more proud of his books than his Gallardo, is (or was?) a financial advice YouTuber. His channel still boasts a considerable following (2.49 million subscribers as of now), but his recent videos have garnered relatively few views. He is certainly still active; he uploaded a new video just last week.

      This topic is a bit outside our usual discussions on The Drive, but the first 15 seconds of that video were so ubiquitous that it feels like it has become (albeit in a peculiar way) a part of car culture, and I must admit I'm curious about the trouble the Here In My Garage guy has found himself in.

      Last Friday, the US Securities and Exchange Commission charged “Taino Lopez and Alexander Mehr, co-founders of Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC (‘REV’), and its Chief Operating Officer, Maya Burkenroad (collectively, ‘Defendants’), with carrying out a series of fraudulent securities offerings, misusing investor funds, and making Ponzi-like payments to investors.”

      According to CBS, “Through their holding company, Mehr and Lopez bought struggling brick-and-mortar businesses to convert them into successful online-only brands. Dress Barn and Linens ‘n Things were among their acquisitions.” At least, that was the public-facing side of the operation.

      If you're interested, you can look at the official SEC complaint filed in a Florida court. But to summarize, the SEC alleges that Lopez and his associates “raised around $112 million from hundreds of investors through fraudulent offerings,” shuffled money between investors to deceive them into believing they were receiving dividends, and “misappropriated about $16.1 million in investor funds for Lopez’s and Mehr’s personal expenses.”

      So was Lopez lying about valuing “knowledge” over “material possessions” all this time? Honestly, if we can’t trust boastful guys on YouTube, I’m not sure what to believe anymore.

      Lopez and Mehr are now facing charges for “violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 therein.” Next, the courts will determine what the future holds for them.

      Here’s the video that haunted everyone's feeds for months about a decade ago:

      And if you want to reminisce—or didn’t believe me when I mentioned its fame and the parodies it inspired—here are a few reactions it prompted. They might not all seem as funny in 2025, but:

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