Former KIT Digital Inc. President Gavin Campion Charged with Securities Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Gavin Campion, the former president of KIT Digital Inc., with securities fraud. The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal court in New York on November 15, alleges that over a one-year period… Read More

Francisco Martin Charged with Defrauding Investors in Native American Tribal Bonds

On November 14, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) added Francisco Martin of Woodland Hills, California to a civil injunctive action currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charging him with defrauding… Read More

Government Official Gordon Johnson Reaches Settlement for Insider Trading

On November 14, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that it entered into a settlement agreement with Gordon Johnston, a former official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) who allegedly participated… Read More

What Is An Unregistered Broker? – Going Public Lawyers

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) is pursuing unregistered broker or broker dealer activity which runs rampant in the penny stock markets particulary in transactions involving reverse merger companies. Often these unregistered broker-dealers claim to be exempt… Read More

President of TelexFree James Merrill Pleads Guilty to Running Pyramid Scheme

On October 24, 2016, James M. Merrill, of Ashland, Massachusetts, the former president of TelexFree, Inc. and TelexFree, LLC, pled guilty to criminal charges related to his operating a pyramid scheme through TelexFree. On May 9, 2014, Merrill… Read More

Attorney Adam Tracy & the Nefarious World of Custodianship Shells

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) says it doesn’t like over-the-counter shell companies, and would like to see them gone from the marketplace.  To that end, its Enforcement Division cooked up an initiative it called  “Operation Shell-Expel”.  It… Read More

Marc Broidy Charged with Defrauding Investors in 3 Separate Schemes

On October 27, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged a Los-Angeles based investment advisory firm and its owner, Marc Broidy with fraudulently overbilling clients and stealing assets from their trusts to pay such personal expenses as his… Read More

Southlake Resources Group and Owner Cody Winters Charged with Fraud

Texas company Southlake Resources Group, LLC and its president Cody Winters have agreed to pay over $5.4 million to settle charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that they orchestrated an oil-and-gas fraud. The SEC also charged the… Read More

Brazilian Airplane Manufacturer Embraer S.A. Charged with FCPA Violations

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced a global settlement along with the U.S. Department of Justice and Brazilian authorities that requires aircraft manufacturer Embraer S.A. to pay more than $205 million to resolve alleged violations of the Foreign… Read More

Executive of Pinnacle Financial Partners James Cope Charged with Insider Trading

On October 21, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged a James Cope, a Tennessee lawyer who served on the executive committee of the board of directors of Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners with insider trading based on nonpublic… Read More

Christopher Salis and Douglas and Edward Miller Charged with Insider Trading

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Indiana has indicted Christopher Salis, Douglas Miller, and Edward Miller on charges relating to insider trading, money laundering, and structuring currency transactions. The 17-count indictment also charges Douglas Miller… Read More

SEC Issues Form S-3 Registration and Annual Report C&DIs

On November 2, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Corporation Finance released two new compliance and disclosure interpretations (“C&DIs”) addressing eligibility to use Form S-3 registration statements and submission of annual reports to the SEC…. Read More

Lime Energy Co. and Four Execs Charged with Accounting Fraud

On October 17, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Lime Energy Co., an energy services provider and four of its executives for their roles in an accounting fraud in which the company recognized revenue earlier than allowed… Read More

Rule 147: Not Just for In-State Investors Anymore

  On October 26, 2016, the Securities & Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted  amendments to Rule 147 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”) to modernize the exemptions for intrastate securities offerings. According to the SEC, the… Read More

Court Enters Final Judgments Against Paul Downey and Two Others

On September 29, the Honorable Sam R. Cummings of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered final judgments against Defendants Paul Downey, Jeffry Downey, and John Leonard. The judgments followed summary-judgment rulings in… Read More

Louis Buonocore and 4 Others Charged for Operating a Fraudulent Penny Stock Scheme

On September 29, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged five individuals for engaging in a fraudulent scheme to illegally profit by manipulating the market and price for the stock of Ecoland International, Inc. (now known as… Read More

Marcus Luna and Norell Walker Charged in Penny Stock Scam

On September 30, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged an attorney and three others in California with defrauding investors out of $13.6 million in a penny stock pump-and-dump scheme. The SEC alleges that Marcus Luna and… Read More

Cannabis Company Infinex Ventures and CEO Ronald Salem Charged with Fraud

On September 30, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed fraud charges against cannabis company Infinex Ventures, Inc. and its CEO Ronald Salem. According to the SEC’s complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado,… Read More

SEC Expands Rule 504 of Regulation D & Rule 147

On October 26, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted final rules that amend Rule 504 of Regulation D and Rule 147. According to the SEC, these new rules modernize how companies can raise money to… Read More

Former CEO of Gerova Financial Gary Hirst Charged with Securities Fraud

    On September 28, 2016, a federal court jury in New York, New York convicted Gary Hirst, the former CEO and President of Gerova Financial Group Ltd., of securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges. The criminal… Read More

Aegis Oil and President Patrick Beason Charged with Oil and Gas Fraud

On September 29, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Aegis Oil, LLC and its President and CEO Patrick Reagan Beason with defrauding investors in oil and gas projects managed by Aegis. According to the SEC’s complaint filed… Read More

Robert Gadimian Charged with Insider Trading

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) today charged the former senior director of regulatory affairs for Puma Biotechnology with insider trading ahead of the company’s news announcements about a drug to treat breast cancer. The SEC alleges that… Read More

SEC Charges Former Stockbroker Peter Kohli with Fraud and Orders an Asset Freeze

On September 28, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced charges and an emergency asset freeze against former stockbroker Peter Kohli for defrauding investors in his failing mutual fund business. The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal court in Philadelphia,… Read More

SEC Charges CEO Craig Sizer of Microcap Company with Fraud

On September 26, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged a former microcap company CEO and a boiler room operator with defrauding seniors and others who were pressured to invest in a pair of penny stock companies… Read More

Former IT Executive Charged in Computer Sciences Corporation Fraud Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced on September 27, 2016 that a former IT executive at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has agreed to settle charges that he participated in a scheme to defraud Computer Sciences Corporation… Read More

Jason Wallace Charged for Pump and Dump Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a civil injunctive action in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Jason Wallace alleging that he violated the antifraud and registration requirements of the federal securities laws… Read More

Alternative Fuel Company KiOR, Inc. Charged with Failure of Full Disclosure

On September 26, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Texas-based Mard, Inc., formerly known as KiOR, Inc., and its former CEO and President Fred Cannon for failing to disclose important assumptions about the yield that KiOR had… Read More

Court Enters Final Judgment Against Daniel Thibeault for $15 Million Fraud

On September 26, 2016, the Honorable Nathaniel M. Gorton of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts entered a final judgment against Daniel Thibeault, of Framingham, Massachusetts. Thibeault is a defendant in an SEC enforcement… Read More

The Regulation A+ Offering Process – Going Public Attorneys

On June 19, 2015, Regulation A+ became effective. The new rules which were promulgated under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act), create two Tiers of exempt offerings, both of which allow securities to be offered and sold to the… Read More

Owners of North Star Finance LLC Charged with Fraud

On September 21, 2016, North Star Finance LLC, G. Thomas Ellis, and Yasuo Oda entered consents to settle the SEC’s charges against them. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC’s complaint, North Star, Ellis, and Oda… Read More