Court Enters Final Judgment Against Lee Vacaro in Fraud Case

On September 16, 2016, the Honorable William J. Martini of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey entered a judgment against defendant Lee Vaccaro that imposed permanent injunctions and an officer and director bar.

The SEC’s complaint, filed on May 4, 2016, alleged that Vaccaro and James Trolice pocketed the approximately $6 million they raised from more than 100 investors for limited liability companies they owned and controlled that purportedly held warrants to purchase the common stock of a technology startup company. Vaccaro and Trolice created a false sense of urgency and exclusivity around the offering, claiming that only a limited amount of warrants were available and that they eventually could be exercised at a very profitable price. The complaint alleged that Vaccaro spent at least a quarter-million dollars in investor funds at Las Vegas casinos.In addition to Vaccaro’s role in the offering fraud scheme, the SEC alleged that he raised approximately $675,000 from several individuals that entrusted him to invest in securities on their behalf. Vaccaro defrauded these individuals by misrepresenting the investments he would make on their behalf and by misappropriating their funds.

The judgment permanently enjoins Vaccaro from violating Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 10(b) and 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. In addition, the judgment bars Vaccaro from serving as an officer or director of a public company. Vaccaro consented to the entry of the judgment. The district court will determine monetary sanctions.

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 and compliance 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
www.SecuritiesLawyer101.com