Overview

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Citadel Securities LLC (“Citadel”) and Virtu Americas LLC (“Virtu”) alleging violations of the federal securities laws. Plaintiff is the issuer of Genius ordinary shares, which are currently listed and actively traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker “GNS.”

This is a federal class action lawsuit that was brought on behalf of all persons and entities who sold securities of Genius between April 12, 2022, and May 30, 2025, both dates inclusive, (the “Class Period”).

Founded in 2002, Genius provides AI-powered business education and development tools, and management consultancy services to entrepreneurs and business owners. In addition to its online education services, Genius also owns and operates resorts, retreats, and co-working cafes that offer resources supporting entrepreneurship and business development. Genius operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North Asia, the Asia Pacific, Australia, North America, and South America.

The lawsuit alleges that broker-dealers Citadel and Virtu engaged in a long-running market manipulation scheme involving the securities of Genius. According to the lawsuit, defendants repeatedly used a manipulative trading tactic known as “spoofing” to artificially drive down the price of Genius stock, enriching themselves at the expense of investors.

Spoofing occurs when a trader submits large buy or sell orders with no genuine intent to execute them, only to cancel those orders almost immediately. These “baiting orders” distort the appearance of supply, demand, or volatility, misleading other market participants and influencing the security’s price. The lawsuit asserts that Citadel and Virtu entered thousands of such baiting orders—cancelled within 100 milliseconds—in order to create the false impression of excess supply and heightened volatility in Genius stock. This manipulation allegedly induced investors to sell at artificially depressed prices, allowing defendants to profit from short positions, inventory acquisition, or arbitrage opportunities created by their rapid order-placement tactics.

As large broker-dealers and market makers, Citadel and Virtu allegedly used spoofing not only to manipulate Genius’s market price but also to exploit their customers’ trades by executing them at inferior prices while profiting in parallel markets. The lawsuit notes that regulators had previously sanctioned both companies for abusive trading practices, including the SEC’s imposition of multimillion-dollar fines on Citadel for short-selling violations and misleading customers. Despite these warnings, defendants allegedly continued to operate trading systems capable of facilitating unlawful manipulative activity.

The lawsuit claims that by entering manipulative baiting orders on stock exchanges in New York, Citadel and Virtu intentionally distorted the market for Genius securities, causing significant harm to investors who traded in a manipulated and artificially deflated market.

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If you sold securities of Genius between April 12, 2022, and May 30, 2025, (the “Class Period”), you may be eligible to serve as lead plaintiff in this lawsuit. If you invested in Genius securities and wish to seek appointment as lead plaintiff, we encourage you to contact DiCello Levitt LLP by submitting your information through the form on this page.

You can also contact DiCello Levitt partner Brian O’Mara by calling (888) 287-9005 or at investors@dicellolevitt.com. 

The deadline to apply to the Court to serve as lead plaintiff in the Genius Group class action lawsuit is January 13, 2026.