Articles Posted in SEC Enforcement Actions 2013

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Detroit Memorial Partners, LLC and Mark Morrow, Civil Action No. 1:13-cv-1817-WSD, United States District Court, Northern District of Georgia SEC Charges Cincinnati Resident and Delaware Firm with Offering Fraud Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil injunctive action in the Northern District of Georgia against Detroit Memorial Partners,…

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Laidlaw Energy Group, Inc. and Michael Bartoszek, Civil Action No. 13 Civ. 3837 (ALC) (S.D.N.Y.) SEC Charges Penny Stock Company and Ceo for Illegal Stock Offering and Insider Trading The Securities and Exchange Commission recently charged a microcap company that was ensnared in an SEC trading suspension proactively targeting questionable…

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert A. Gist, et al., Civil Action No. 1:13-cv-01833-AT (N.D.Ga., May 31, 2013) SEC Charges Atlanta Attorney with Converting Investor Funds Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Robert A. Gist (“Gist”), an Atlanta attorney and former sports agent, and Gist, Kennedy & Associates, Inc. (“Gist Kennedy”) (collectively, “Defendants”), a…

The Securities and Exchange Commission staff recently issued an Investor Alert in response to a number of fraudulent solicitations currently underway that purport to be affiliated with or sponsored by the federal government and legitimate securities regulators. If you are contacted by an organization calling itself the “Chicago Division of Securities,” the “Division of Securities,…

Securities and Exchange Commission v. John A. Grant, Sage Advisory Group, LLC and Benjamin Lee Grant, Civil Action No. 1:11-CV-11538 (GAO) (D. Mass.) SEC Obtains Final Judgment and Issues Administrative Orders Against John A. (“Jack”) Grant The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced that on May 17, 2013, the Honorable George A. O’Toole Jr. of…

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced that the subject of an enforcement inquiry in Florida has has been criminally charged for obstructing justice and lying to SEC investigators looking into his real estate securities offerings to investors. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida has filed criminal charges against former broker…

Commission Charges Dallas-Based Trader with Front-Running The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced fraud charges and an asset freeze against a trader at a Dallas-based investment advisory firm who improperly profited by placing his own trades before executing large block trades for firm clients that had strong potential to increase the stock’s price. The SEC…

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently charged NASDAQ with securities laws violations resulting from its poor systems and decision-making during the initial public offering (IPO) and secondary market trading of Facebook shares. NASDAQ has agreed to settle the SEC’s charges by paying a $10 million penalty – the largest ever against an exchange. Exchanges have…

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Blake Richards, Civil Action No. 1:13-CV-1729 (N.D. Ga.) SEC Charges Atlanta-Area Registered Representative and Registered Investment Adviser Representative with Securities Fraud On May 23, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed an emergency action seeking a temporary restraining order and other emergency relief in federal court in the Northern District of…

Joseph Hilton a/k/a Joseph Yurkin Barred from the Securities Industry Joseph Hilton a/k/a Joseph Yurkin (Hilton), of Boca Raton, Florida, has been barred from the securities industry. The sanction was ordered in an administrative proceeding before an administrative law judge, following a February 2013 injunction against violations of the antifraud and registration provisions of the…