Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Donald Trump's social media company will get tens of millions in special bonus shares in a new publicly traded entity if it performs well, handing the former president possibly billions of dollars in paper wealth based on current stock prices, according to a prospectus filed with security regulators Tuesday.
The filing says Trump's social media company that aims to challenge Twitter and Facebook will be able to exercise warrants convertible to as many as 40 million shares of the new publicly traded company over three years. The exact number will depend on how high the stock in the company trades during that time, with the maximum number granted only if it trades at least at $30 a share or higher for a sustained period.
The bonus shares for his company would come on top of nearly 90 million shares worth possibly billions more.
"Trump and his fellow shareholders could walk away with a really big payday," said Jay Ritter, a professor at the University of Florida who specializes in initial public offerings, though he cautioned the stock could plunge. "At some point the company needs to produce profits and given the competitive nature of the media industry, that could be a stretch."
Trump launched his new company, Trump Media & Technology Group, last week as he unveiled plans for a new messaging app called "Truth Social" to rival Twitter and other social media that banned him following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
TMTG's plan is to become a publicly listed company through a merger with the publicly traded Digital World Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, whose sole purpose is to acquire a private company and take it public.
Digital World's stock plunged 30% Tuesday to close at $59.07. It had traded above $100 last week when Trump's social media company announced it would merge with it.
Still, the closing price implies Trump's bonus "earnout" shares, if granted in full, would be worth $2.4 billion, though that valuation is far from certain. Ritter warned that if Trump's bonus shares are issued, they would dilute existing shareholders, weighing on the stock price.
The bonus shares are in addition to roughly 87 million shares that TMTG will also receive, based on Ritter's calculation from the merger announcement last week. At current prices, that stake would be worth another $5.1 billion.
The big drop Tuesday in Digital World's stock is a reminder to investors of the risks of investing in SPACs, companies whose stocks have a record of soaring and plunging.
Even with the prospectus, investors are still largely in the dark about Trump's new company. It gave few details on who exactly will be running the day-to-day operations and no financial figures.
IPO expert Ritter said the Trump company valuation is remarkable given the company has divulged so little and has virtually no assets.
"But it's obviously got a big brand name that is potentially worth billions of dollars," he said.
Whatever Trump's stake in the new company, he wouldn't be able sell his shares right away. A "lock-up" provision outlined in the prospectus says he wouldn't be allowed to sell until at least five months after the merger.
Trump is listed as chairman of TMTG.
The prospectus acknowledges the "controversial nature" of a business being associated with Trump and his family.
And it says it is taking steps in case Trump should run for president again. It said the new company is structuring Trump's "ownership and position" in a way that eliminates the need for disruptive changes should Trump decide to run for public office or be convicted of a felony criminal offense.
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.