Court Issues Asset Freeze Over James Hugh Brennan and Douglas Albert Dyer in Fraud Case

On July 22, 2016, the Honorable Travis R. McDonough of the Eastern District of Tennessee entered a court-ordered asset freeze to halt an ongoing fraud by two former brokers with disciplinary histories who allegedly raised more than $5 million from investors without using the money as promised.

In an emergency action filed in federal court on July 20, 2016, the SEC alleged that James Hugh Brennan III and Douglas Albert Dyer sold purported shares in eight similarly named companies to more than 240 investors since 2008 without ever registering the stock as they promised. Instead, according to the SEC’s complaint, Brennan and Dyer transferred investor funds into their personal accounts or those belonging to their wives. The SEC further alleged that Brennan and Dyer continue to solicit investors while touting their securities industry experience and failing to disclose Brennan had been banned from the brokerage industry and Dyer suspended and fined for executing unauthorized transactions in customers’ accounts.

The SEC’s complaint alleges that Brennan, Dyer, and their company Broad Street Ventures have violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 as well as Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. The SEC seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest and penalties as well as permanent injunctions. The SEC also seeks penny stock and officer-and-director bars against Brennan and Dyer. The court’s order issued this morning freezes the assets of Broad Street, Brennan, and Dyer. Their spouses are named as relief defendants in the SEC’s complaint for the purposes of recovering ill-gotten gains deposited in their accounts.

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
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Boca Raton, Florida 33432
Telephone: (561) 416-8956
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