The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has obtained an emergency order freezing the assets of two Quebecers who allegedly sold a virtual currency that raised $15 million from investors by falsely promising a 13-fold profit in less than a month.

The complaint was filed in court Monday in Brooklyn against Dominic Lacroix, his company PlexCorps and his partner, Sabrina Paradis-Royer.

The alleged activities took place between this past August and present day.

Lacroix and Paradis-Royer were also cited by Quebec's markets regulator earlier this year.

But the U.S. court filing suggests they continued to peddle the investment despite a Quebec tribunal ruling calling on them to stop earlier this year.

The U.S. agency described Lacroix as a recidivist violator of Quebec securities laws and allege he and PlexCorps marketed and sold securities dubbed PlexCoin through the internet to investors in the United States and abroad.

The company allegedly claimed investments would yield a 1,354 per cent profit in less than 29 days.

Also named is Paradis-Royer, described as Lacroix's romantic partner.

The complaint seeks permanent injunctions as well as the surrendering of illegal profits plus interest and other penalties.