Robert Seibert Charged In Scheme Targeting Seniors

On December 2, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Robert Seibert with operating a multi-year offering fraud that targeted elderly investors.

According to the SEC’s complaint:

• Seibert, who was previously charged by the SEC in 1993 with securities fraud and who has been convicted multiple times for securities-related offenses, owned and operated a Nevada limited liability company called Universal Stock Transfer (“UST”) out of Palm Desert, CA.
• Using the alias “John Grey,” Seibert, who has never been registered with the SEC, together with sales agents who identified themselves as “Ron Woods” and “Sebastian Wilson,” cold-called investors who ranged in age from 56 to 95 and encouraged them to buy from them a variety of stocks quoted on OTC Link, an inter-dealer quotation system for over-the-counter securities.
• Seibert and the UST agents told the elderly investors that the stocks they were selling would significantly increase in value shortly after purchase.

As “John Grey,” Seibert concealed his true name and his extensive civil and criminal disciplinary record, and the fact that neither he nor “John Grey” have ever been registered with the SEC as a broker or associated with a registered broker and neither Seibert nor “John Grey” held any of the stocks touted by UST.

Between January 2013 and February 2015, UST, through Seibert and its sales agents, raised approximately $513,810 from at least 41 people residing in several states. Instead of using the investors’ money to purchase the OTC securities, Seibert misappropriated the money, either withdrawing the money in cash or using it for personal expenses, such as restaurant, gas and hotel expenses, retail purchases, utility and insurance bills, and to make payments on outstanding child support obligations.
The SEC’s complaint charges Seibert with violating Sections 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 10(b) and 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and, in the alternative, as a control person under the Exchange Act Section 20(a) for Universal Stock Transfer’s violations of Section 10(b) and 15(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder.

The SEC seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement, civil money penalties, and other relief.

For further information about this securities law blog  post, please contact Brenda Hamilton, Securities Attorney at 101 Plaza Real S, Suite 202 N, Boca Raton, Florida, (561) 416-8956, by email at [email protected] or visit  www.securitieslawyer101.com.   This securities law blog post is provided as a general informational service to clients and friends of Hamilton & Associates Law Group and should not be construed as, and does not constitute legal advice on any specific matter, nor does this message create an attorney-client relationship.  Please note that the prior results discussed herein do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Hamilton & Associates | Securities Lawyers
Brenda Hamilton, Securities Attorney
101 Plaza Real South, Suite 202 North
Boca Raton, Florida 33432
Telephone: (561) 416-8956
Facsimile: (561) 416-2855