SEC Obtains Final Judgment Against EB-5 Attorneys

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it has obtained final judgments against a former Los Angeles-based immigration attorney, his wife, his former law firm partner and five entities he controlled for conducting an investment scheme to… Read More

Court Enters Final Judgment Against 5 Companies and Owner

On November 12, 2015 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that the Court awarded summary judgment and entered a final judgment in favor of the SEC against defendants Brett Cooper, Global Funding Systems LLC, Dream Holdings, LLC,… Read More

5 Star Commercial, 5 Star Capital, and Operator Earl Miller Charged with Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on November 5, 2015 an emergency enforcement action was filed in federal district court against Earl Miller (Miller) and two private investment vehicles that he controlled, 5 Star Commercial, LLC… Read More

SEC Charges EB-5 Offering Attorneys – Securities Lawyer 101

On December 7, 2015 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a series of enforcement actions against lawyers across the country charged with offering EB-5 investments while not registered to act as brokers. In one case, a lawyer and his firm… Read More

Zhichen Zhou and Yannan Liu Charged with Insider Trading

On November 10, 2015 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced insider trading charges and an emergency asset freeze against cousins Zhichen Zhou and Yannan Liu. The SEC alleged that the Defendants traded in advance of the acquisition of… Read More

Judgment Entered Against James Louks and FiberPop Solutions

On November 9, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on November 4, 2015 the Court entered a partial judgment against James Louks and FiberPop Solutions, Inc. (FiberPop). FiberPop and Louks, founder, President, CEO, Director, and Chairman… Read More

SEC Complaint Charges For Phony Muddy Waters Tweets

On November 6, 2015, the SEC announced that it charged James Alan Craig (Craig) with a market manipulation scheme. The SEC filed criminal securities fraud charges against Craig, a Scottish trader whose phony tweets caused sharp drops in the… Read More

Court Approves Insurance Company’s Final Distribution

On September 30, 2015 the Court approved final distribution that concluded the receivership in the SEC’s litigation against Provident Capital Indemnity, Ltd. The litigation was ended by the Court’s order and was settled with the last remaining defendant,… Read More

Vlad Spivnak Charged with Insider Trading

The SEC has announced charges against Vlad Spivnak for insider trading in the stock of American Dental Partners, Inc. (ADPI), a dental practice management company. The complaint alleges that Spivnak received the private information from his girlfriend at the time, Shirmila Doddi, who… Read More

William Apostelos and His Companies Charged with Fraud

The SEC released charges on October 30, 2015 alleging that William Apostelos and his companies, WMA Enterprises, Midwest Green Resources, and OVO Wealth Management conducted a fraudulent investment scheme. The complaint claims that the companies raised at least… Read More

Diverse Financial and Principals Charged with Fraud

The SEC filed fraud charges against Diverse Financial Corporation, its CEO, Roy Dekel, and its former President David Kendell on October 28, 2015. The complaint claims that the defendants raised about $3.29 million from at least 16 investors through… Read More

SEC Obtains Asset Freeze Over Joseph Gabalon

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil action against defendants Ascenergy LLC and its CEO, Joseph Gabaldon for offering fraudulent oil and gas investments. At the request of the SEC, the U.S. District Court for the District of… Read More

Rebecca Norton Insider Trading Settlement Approved

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that, on October 27, 2015, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona entered a settled final judgment against Rebecca Norton, the remaining defendant in SEC v. Mary Beth… Read More

Brown Investment Advisors Charged with Operating Three Offering Frauds

A settled civil injunctive action was filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against two Pennsylvania investment advisers, Kevin Brown and his father, George Brown, (collectively, the “Browns”), and several entities they managed, for conducting three offering frauds over the… Read More

John Williams Charged with Conducting Misappropriation Scheme and Offering Fraud

On October 20, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged John Clifford Williams with his involvement in a misappropriation scheme. The complaint alleges that Williams misappropriated and diverted more than $3.1 million illicit funds that he accumulated from… Read More

Court Reaches Final Judgement of Disgorgement and Civil Penalties Against Stock Fraudsters

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on October 26, 2015 that on October 23, 2015, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered a final judgment against two fraudsters, Joseph Catapano and… Read More

Settlement Reached in Vladimir Eydelman Insider Trading Case

On October 23, 2015 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a settlement with a stockbroker who was previously charged with insider trading in advance of over a dozen pending corporate transactions. These charges found Vladimir Eydelman guilty of insider trading and claims… Read More

Keeping A Close Watch On Equity Crowdfunding

With equity crowdfunding now legal, we can expect to see the Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) keeping a close watch for unregistered broker dealers and funding portals. In an administrative proceeding a few weeks ago, the SEC ordered… Read More

Donald Lester and His Private Firm Charged with Fraud

On October 16, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed fraud and other charges against Donald Lester and his private equity firm, Rubicon Alliance, LLC (“Rubicon”). According to the SEC’s fraud complaint, from about January 2010 through December… Read More

Hedge Fund Manager Lonny Bernath Charged with Fraud

On October 13, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a hedge fund manager from Charlotte, Lonny Bernath, with defrauding investors in three hedge funds over several years. The SEC filed a complaint stating that between at least… Read More

SEC Obtains Summary Judgment Against Andrew Farmer in Pump-And-Dump Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on October 9, 2015, that on October 7, 2015, it secured a summary judgment on all of its claims against Andrew Farmer in a market manipulation case involving the securities of Chimera… Read More

SEC Charges Nicolas Zanen and His Friend with Insider Trading

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on October 9, 2015 that it has charged Nicolas Zanen, Vice President of Trading at a subsidiary of Cheniere Energy, Inc., and his college friend, Francis van Steenberge, with insider trading in… Read More

SEC Wins Summary Judgment Against Allen Smith

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on October 8, 2015 that Judge Paul Barbadoro of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire entered summary judgment in favor of the SEC on its claims… Read More

SEC Obtains Final Judgments Against Operators of a Ponzi Scheme

On October 8, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that the Court entered final judgments on September 28, 2015, against Garfield Taylor, Jeffrey King, Garfield Taylor, Inc. (“GTI”), Gibraltar Asset Management Group, LLC (“Gibraltar”) and The… Read More

SEC Charges Steve Chen With Fraud and Imposes Asset Freeze

On September 22, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed, under seal, fraud charges and, on September 28, obtained asset freezes against the operator of a worldwide pyramid scheme that falsely promised investors would profit from a… Read More

Final Judgement Entered Against Amyot And Spencer Pharmaceutical

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced October 1, 2015 that on September 30, 2015, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued an order setting final judgments in an enforcement action filed in December 2012 against… Read More

Ranjan Mendonsa and Ammar Akbari Charged with Insider Trading

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on October 1, 2015 that on September 28, 2015, the Honorable Haywood Gilliam of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California entered a final judgement against defendants Ranjan Mendonsa… Read More

Charles Riel and REinvest LLC Charged with Securities Fraud

On September 29, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a company and its manager with securities fraud of their investors by promising them outlandish “low risk” investment returns and then misusing the investors’ money to, among other… Read More

Jose Ramirez Charged by the SEC for Conducting Fraudulent Scheme

On September 29, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Jose Ramirez, a former top broker at UBS Financial Services Incorporated of Puerto Rico (“UBSPR”), who made material misrepresentations and omissions and conducted a fraudulent scheme that… Read More

SEC Charges Oil and Gas Company and Boiler Room Operator, Commodore Financial Corporation, CEO Christopher Schlegel, M&G Cap Services, and Andres Calvo

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on October 1, 2015 fraud charges against an Orange County, Calif. oil and gas company, its CEO, and an Arizona-based boiler room operator. The SEC claims Commodore Financial Corporation, CEO Christopher Schlegel,… Read More