No one is saying you can’t short a stock. Shorting a penny stock is a completely different game and has a different risk profile than a larger price & volume stock such as this. Much different margin requirements than a penny stock.
I heard there was someone named Ivana Bloyu named in the naked shorting complaint and that they usually try and suppress stock prices from the Middle East or Southeast Asia. I wonder if that’s the person’s real name or if they use other monikers or shortened versions of that name.