Slades Dodge SEC! Millions Raised, Zero Documents Produced!

SEC v. 1859 Operating, LLC; Centerfire Consulting, LLC; DMMD Marketing, Inc.; DM Sales Consulting, Inc.; The Slade Group, Inc.; Slade Marketing, Inc.; Adam Fieldsted; Dillon Murrow; Alison Slade; Dallin Slade; Duane Slade; and Mason Slade — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Litigation Release No. 26616, dated August 21, 2026.

The SEC filed a subpoena enforcement action against 1859 Operating, LLC, five affiliated entities, and six individuals. The respondents allegedly failed to produce documents and provide testimony in an SEC investigation into a potential fraudulent securities offering that raised approximately $42.7 million.

In Plain English

Imagine the SEC is investigating a company that might be scamming people by selling fake oil investments. The SEC asked the company and its leaders for important papers and to answer questions under oath. But, the company and its leaders didn't give the SEC most of the papers and didn't show up to answer questions, even after being asked many times. So, the SEC had to go to court to force them to cooperate.

Disclaimer: all facts are drawn from the SEC's own filings; the claims described are allegations unless and until a court rules or the parties settle, and some cases end in dismissal.

How the Alleged Scheme Worked

  1. Offering Oil Investments 1859 Operating, LLC and its affiliated entities offered investors fractional undivided working interests in oil leases. These offerings were presented as investment opportunities, with respondents raising approximately $42.7 million from investors.
  2. SEC Investigation Begins Beginning in April 2024, the SEC initiated an investigation into these offerings. The investigation aimed to determine if federal securities laws were violated, particularly concerning potential fraudulent activities in the sale of these oil lease interests.
  3. Issuance of Subpoenas As part of the investigation, the SEC issued investigative subpoenas to 1859 Operating, LLC, its five affiliated entities, and six related individuals. These subpoenas demanded the production of documents and sworn testimony.
  4. Alleged Non-Compliance with Subpoenas According to the SEC's application, the respondents almost entirely failed to comply with the outstanding subpoenas by their deadlines. Despite extended deadlines and communications, they allegedly produced only about 8,344 documents out of a much larger potential universe.
  5. Failure to Appear for Testimony Several respondents also allegedly failed to appear for testimony on dates previously agreed upon or scheduled. On multiple occasions over the preceding 10 months, their counsel reportedly canceled testimony unilaterally shortly before the scheduled times.
  6. SEC Seeks Court Order On August 20, 2026, the SEC filed a subpoena enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The Commission requested a court order compelling the respondents to comply fully with the investigative subpoenas.

The Enforcement Action

On August 20, 2026, the SEC filed a subpoena enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas against 1859 Operating, LLC; Centerfire Consulting, LLC; DMMD Marketing, Inc.; DM Sales Consulting, Inc.; The Slade Group, Inc.; Slade Marketing, Inc.; and individuals Adam Fieldsted, Dillon Murrow, Alison Slade, Dallin Slade, Duane Slade, and Mason Slade. The SEC seeks an order compelling the respondents to comply with outstanding SEC investigative subpoenas issued in connection with an investigation into possible fraudulent securities offerings involving 1859's offers and sales of fractional undivided working interests in oil leases, through which respondents have raised approximately $42.7 million. The SEC alleges that the respondents have almost entirely failed to comply with the subpoenas by the compliance deadlines, producing approximately 8,344 documents out of a universe of potentially hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of responsive documents, and that several respondents have failed to appear for testimony on dates previously agreed to or scheduled. The SEC is continuing its fact-finding investigation and, to date, has not concluded that any individual or entity has violated the federal securities laws.

Named in this action: 1859 Operating, LLC, Centerfire Consulting, LLC, DMMD Marketing, Inc., DM Sales Consulting, Inc., The Slade Group, Inc., Slade Marketing, Inc..