SEC fines Ashton Kutcher’s animated series $1M for misleading investors

The cat’s out the bag. The SEC is blunt with their consequences.

Ashton Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, reportedly owe the Securities and Exchange Commission $1 million in fines after the SEC found that the embattled couple had been conducting unregistered offers of crypto asset securities.

The government agency also claimed in a press release that Kutcher, 45, and Kunis, 40, were misleading investors for their new series, “Stoner Cats.”

According to the release, the project sold more than 10,000 NFTs for a profit of $8 million in order to finance the animated series, but in doing so, the SEC claimed, they violated the Securities Act of 1933 “by offering and selling these crypto asset securities to the public in an unregistered offering that was not exempt from registration.”

“Stoner Cats,” which stars Kunis, Kutcher, Chris Rock and Jane Fonda and several other stars, tells the story of a group of cats as they attempt to take care of their marijuana-smoking owner who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

Reps for both Kunis and Kutcher were contacted by The Post for comment.

The series’ creative team allegedly claimed that one of the highlights of owning one of its NFTs was that a person could later sell it at a much higher value in the future.

According to the SEC, this boasting led investors “to expect profits because a successful web series could cause the resale value of the Stoner Cats NFTs in the secondary market to rise.”

The agency also found that the group had created the token to give itself a 2.5 percent royalty each time that the NFT was purchased online.

“Registration of securities, including crypto-asset securities, protects investors by providing them with disclosures so they can make informed investing decisions,” Associate Director of the SEC’s Home Office Carolyn Welshhans said in a statement. “‘Stoner Cats’ wanted all the benefits of offering and selling a security to the public but ignored the legal responsibilities that come with doing so.”

Since coming under scrutiny, the series was ordered to” return monies that injured investors paid to purchase the NFTs.”

“Stoner Cats” has “also agreed to destroy all NFTs in its possession or control and publish notice of the order on its website and social media channels.”

The couple’s trouble with SEC is but the latest in several scandals plaguing the “That 70s Show” alum.

Kutcher and his wife first landed themselves in hot water after it was revealed that the couple had written character reference letters for their former co-star Danny Masterson, who is currently serving 30 years to life, after being convicted of rape.

The “Punk’d” creator and “Bad Moms” actress later recanted their statement saying that the letters were only meant to be read by a judge.

“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” said Kutcher in an Instagram video.

“We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future,” added Kunis, who claimed the letters “were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.”

“Our heart goes out to every single person who has ever been a victim of sexual assault, sexual abuse or rape,” concluded Kunis.