A Miami man and former CEO of two publicly traded companies pleaded guilty Tuesday to securities fraud charges in connection with schemes to defraud investors in MoviePass’ parent company and another firm. Theodore Farnsworth, 62, admitted in federal court to making false and misleading claims to inflate the stock prices of Helios & Matheson Analytics Inc. (HMNY) and Vinco Ventures Inc. Farnsworth served as chairman and CEO of HMNY, which owned MoviePass, and later briefly held the CEO role at Vinco Ventures. Prosecutors said that between 2017 and 2019, Farnsworth promoted MoviePass’ “unlimited” subscription plan as profitable, despite knowing it was a temporary gimmick designed to attract subscribers and boost HMNY’s stock price. Farnsworth also reportedly falsely claimed HMNY used artificial intelligence to monetize subscriber data. A similar scheme occurred at Vinco Ventures, where Farnsworth and his co-conspirators manipulated stock prices to enrich themselves while misleading investors, authorities said. Farnsworth pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. He faces up to 25 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later date.