SEC Enters Settlement Agreement with Concorde Bermuda Ltd.

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it entered into a settlement agreement, subject to court approval, with Ukrainian-based Concorde Bermuda Ltd. (Concorde) in a case alleging a scheme to trade on hacked news releases. On August 10,… Read More

Court Enters Final Judgment Against Shirmila Doddi For Insider Trading

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on January 20, 2016, the Court for the District of Massachusetts entered a final judgment against defendant Shirmila Doddi, permanently enjoining her from future violations of Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5…. Read More

Court Enters Final Judgment Against CEO of Polycom

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on January 26, 2016, the Honorable Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California entered a final judgment against Andrew Miller, the former CEO… Read More

Court Issues Asset Freeze Over Sedona Oil and Its President

On January 21, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed an emergency civil action against a Dallas company, Sedona Oil and Gas Corporation and its president, Kenneth “Kenny” Crumbley, Jr., to stop their allegedly fraudulent offer and… Read More

SEC Charges Marquis Properties and Its Principals With Operating a Ponzi Scheme

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) obtained an asset freeze and other ancillary relief against Marquis Properties, LLC, and its CEO/President Chad Deucher for orchestrating a $28 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 250 investors throughout… Read More

SEC Charges StratoComm Coporation with Illicit Sale of Securities

On October 4, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint in United States District Court for the Northern District of New York charging StratoComm Corporation, its CEO Roger Shearer, and its former Director of Investor… Read More

COR Clearing Subpoenas Retail Shareholder Trade Information

  Last fall, we wrote about a highly unusual cash dividend paid by penny stock Calissio Resources Group, Inc. (CRGP).  The payment process was so badly botched it resulted in a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) U3 trading… Read More

Court Approves Summary Judgment Against Stewart Merkin

On January 13, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed entry of summary judgment in favor of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on its claims of securities fraud against defendant Stewart Merkin… Read More

Pyramid Schemer Sanderly Rodrigues Incarcerated for Violation of Court Order

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Sanderley Rodrigues de Vasconcelos (“Rodrigues”) of Davenport, Florida, who is charged with promoting a pyramid scheme, was ordered to jail for civil contempt arising from his repeated violations of Court… Read More

SEC Seeks Enforcement Against CEO of DecisionPoint

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Nicholas Toms seeking enforcement of the SEC Order requiring him to pay disgorgement of $85,918, representing profits… Read More

Court Denies Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss SEC Insider Trading Enforcement

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island denied defendants Anthony Andrade’s and Kenneth Rampino’s motion to dismiss an SEC insider trading action. The SEC’s complaint, filed June… Read More

SEC Charges Robert Crowe for Joining a Pay-to-Play Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint against Robert Crowe, a law firm partner who worked as a fundraiser and lobbyist for State Street Bank and Trust Company. The complaint alleges that Crowe participated in a… Read More

SEC Wins Insider Trading Case Against Capital One Employee

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) obtained a jury verdict in its favor in a federal district court trial in Philadelphia against Nan Huang, who the agency charged with insider trading on information he illegally obtained from his… Read More

SEC Obtains Judgment Against Steven Davis

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on January 8, 2016, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a judgment against defendant Steven Davis. The judgment resolves all issues of liability… Read More

DTC Imposes Corporate Action DTC Eligibility Fee

On December 30, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published a notice that it was soliciting comments for a proposed rule change submitted by The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) filed a pursuant to section 19(b)(3)(A) of the… Read More

Martin Shkreli Charged with Securities Fraud

On December 17, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Martin Shkreli, former CEO of pharmaceutical company Retrophin, with committing fraud during a 5-year period when he also was working as a hedge fund manager. He is… Read More

SEC Obtains Asset Freeze of Oxford City Football Club

  On December 10, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint that charged Oxford City Football Club, Inc. and its CEO, Thomas Anthony Guerriero, with securities fraud and other violations of the federal securities laws. The… Read More

Court Issues Final Judgment Against Auditor Timothy Quintanilla

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that, on December 4, 2015, the Court for the Southern District of New York issued a final judgment, on consent of defendant Timothy Quintanilla, which permanently enjoined him from violating… Read More

SEC Charges Vinh Le and His Company with Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on December 15, 2015, it filed charges against Vu Le a/k/a Vinh Le and his company, TeamVinh.com LLC (“TeamVinh”), in connection with their fraudulent raising of more than $3 million from… Read More

SEC Charges Edward Durante with Securities Fraud

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Edward Durante, a recidivist securities law violator with operating a multi-year offering fraud that targeted investors in New England, Ohio and California. The SEC’s complaint alleges that between 2012 and 2014,… Read More

Information About Foreign Issuers and Foreign Companies

The U.S. capital markets have long been a desired goal for foreign companies that are interested in raising funds or establishing a trading market for their securities. Two of the most important laws applicable to companies seeking to… Read More

FAST Reduces Form S-1 Rules & Creates the Section 4(a)(7) Resale Resale Exemption

Last month, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act became law. The FAST Act is primarily a transportation bill but there are changes to the federal securities laws which should assist in the capital raising process… Read More

How Do I Register A Direct Public Offering?

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog Private companies seeking to go public often use a direct public offering (“Direct Public Offering”).  Unlike an Initial Public Offering (“IPO”), a Direct Public Offering allows an issuer to sell its shares directly to investors without… Read More

Court Enters Final Judgment Against eAdGear and Its Operators

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on February 1, 2016, the Honorable Richard Seeborg of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California entered final judgments against defendants eAdGear Holdings Limited, eAdGear, Inc.,… Read More

Robert Bray Found Guilty of Insider Trading

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on January 28, 2016, a jury in the federal court in Boston Massachusetts, returned a guilty verdict against Watertown real-estate developer Robert Bray in a criminal trial prosecuted by… Read More

SEC Seeks Enforcement Action After Reverse Merger

    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed an action to enforce compliance with document and testimony subpoenas served upon Jessica Gilbertson in an SEC investigation for possible violations of the securities laws captioned In the Matter… Read More

SEC Charges CAUSwave and Its Principals with Fraud

On December 14, 2015 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a Pittsboro, North Carolina-based startup energy company and two executives with defrauding investors in an unregistered stock offering as they purported that a big influx of capital… Read More

SEC Files Subpoena Against President of FX & Beyond Corporation

  On December 9, 2015 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) obtained a court order in its subpoena enforcement action against respondent Steve Karroum that requires Mr. Karroum to sign a written consent for the release of his e-mails from… Read More

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… Read More

Jehu Hand Charged with Market Manipulation Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a California-licensed attorney and a stock promoter behind a pump-and-dump scheme that defrauded investors in Greenway Technology, a Las Vegas-based company purporting to operate resorts for gay and lesbian travelers. The… Read More