Securities and Exchange Commission v. John G. Rizzo, Civil Action No. 13 CV 1801 MMA (BLM) (S.D. Cal. August 2, 2013)
SEC Charges Penny Stock CEO in International Boiler Room Scheme
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced charges against a penny stock company CEO in Boca Raton, Fla., for orchestrating an international boiler room scheme.
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Cort Poyner and Mohammed Dolah, Civil Action No. 13 Civ. 4331 (SJ) (E.D.N.Y.)
SEC Charges Stock Promoters with Market Manipulation
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced that it filed a civil injunctive action against Cort Poyner (“Poyner”) and Mohammad Dolah (“Dolah”), alleging that they engaged in a fraudulent broker bribery scheme designed to manipulate the market for the common stock of Resource Group International, Inc. (“Resource Group”) and Gold Rock Resources Inc. (“Gold Rock”).
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jorge Bravo, Jr., Civil Action No. 13-CV-5116 (PGG) (S.D.N.Y., July 23, 2013)
SEC Charges Florida Resident with Unregistered Sales of Securities
Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed settled charges against Florida resident Jorge Bravo, Jr., for unlawful sales of millions of shares of a microcap company to the public without complying with the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933.
City of Miami and Michael Boudreaux – South Florida (Miami) Municipal Bond Offering Fraud and Misrepresentation Litigation and FINRA Arbitration Attorney:
Securities and Exchange Commission v. City of Miami, Florida, and Michael Boudreaux, Civil Action No. 1:13-cv-22600 (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, filed July 19, 2013)
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it recently charged the City of Miami and its former Budget Director with securities fraud in connection with several municipal bond offerings and other disclosures made to the bond investing public. The SEC’s action also charges the City with violating a 2003 SEC Cease-and-Desist Order which was entered against the City based on similar misconduct. This case is the SEC’s first ever injunctive action against a municipality already under an existing SEC cease-and-desist order.
In the Matter of Steven J. Brewer:
On July 12, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the issuance of an Order Instituting Administrative Proceedings Pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) and Section 203(f) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act), Making Findings and Imposing Remedial Sanctions (Order) against Steven J. Brewer.
The Order finds that from June 2009 through October 2010, Steven J. Brewer was engaged in the business of effecting transactions in securities for the accounts of others by offering and selling promissory notes to investors. During that time, Brewer was associated with a registered broker dealer and with a registered investment adviser. On April 22, 2013, a judgment was entered by consent against Brewer, permanently enjoining him from future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and from aiding and abetting future violations of Section 15(c) of the Exchange Act and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Advisers Act, in the civil action entitled Securities and Exchange Commission v. Steven Brewer, et al., Civil Action Number 10-cv-6932-BMM-AK, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The Commission’s complaint alleged that, from June 2009 through at least the end of September 2010, Brewer and others participated in fraudulent, unregistered offerings of promissory notes issued by FPA Limited, an Isle of Man company, in the aggregate amount of $5.6 million to at least 74 investors. The offering materials created and used for the offerings misrepresented the risk of the investment and misrepresented the use of proceeds of the offering. The complaint alleged that Brewer originated the fraudulent offerings and participated in creating the fraudulent offering documents. Brewer also controlled the bank account into which the proceeds of the offerings were deposited and then disbursed, primarily to BIG.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission) recently announced that it barred Johnny Clifton, who was president, chief executive officer, and principal of MPG Financial, LLC, a former Commission-registered broker-dealer, from associating with any broker, dealer, investment adviser, municipal securities dealer, municipal advisor, transfer agent, or nationally recognized statistical rating organization, entered a cease-and-desist order, and imposed a $150,000 third-tier civil money penalty. The Commission found that Clifton violated Sections 17(a)(1), 17(a)(2), and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 because he made material misrepresentations and omissions in the offer and sale of oil-and-gas limited partnership interests, and through those misrepresentations, omissions, and other misconduct he engaged in a fraudulent scheme and course of business that operated as a fraud on prospective investors. The Commission also found that Clifton violated Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 because he failed reasonably to supervise at least one MPG Financial sales representative with a view towards detecting and preventing the sales representative’s securities law violations. Concluding that it was in the public interest to impose a full collateral bar on Clifton, the Commission stated that “[h]is repeated and egregious misconduct evidences an unfitness to participate in the securities industry that goes beyond the professional capacity in which he was acting” and “demonstrates his unfitness to participate in the securities industry in any capacity.”
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The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced that it has barred Alfred Clay Ludlum III, a registered investment adviser and the founder, president, and sole control person of Printz Capital Management, LLC, Printz Financial Group, Inc., and PCM Global Holdings, LLC, from association with any investment adviser, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, municipal advisor, transfer agent, or nationally recognized statistical rating organization. The Commission found that Ludlum agreed, among other things, to be permanently enjoined from future violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. Based on the circumstances underlying that injunction, the Commission determined that the public interest required a full securities industry bar, noting that Ludlum defrauded investors-including several to whom he owed a fiduciary duty-out of approximately $850,000 and that he subsequently attempted to mislead regulators and thwart their investigations. The Commission concluded that an industry-wide bar was necessary because “Ludlum’s repeated and egregious misconduct evidences an unfitness to participate in the securities industry that goes beyond just the professional capacity in which Ludlum was acting when he engaged in the misconduct underlying these proceedings.” Commissioners Paredes and Gallagher concurred in the Commission’s decision, but dissented with respect to Commission’s decision to bar Ludlum from association with municipal advisors and nationally recognized statistical rating organizations.
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The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced that on July 9, 2013, the Honorable Denis R. Hurley of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York entered final judgments against defendants Martin C. Hartmann III and Laura Ann Tordy, sales agents for Agape World, Inc. (“Agape”), an offering fraud and Ponzi scheme that raised $415 million from at least 5,000 investors nationwide.
The final judgment as to Hartmann permanently enjoins Hartmann from violating Sections 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Sections 10(b) and 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and requires him to pay $3,591,388 in disgorgement, $560,932 in prejudgment interest, and a civil penalty of $3,594,818. The final judgment as to Tordy permanently enjoins Tordy from violating the same provisions of the federal securities laws as Hartmann, and requires her to pay $1,048,485 in disgorgement, $163,761 in prejudgment interest, and a civil penalty of $1,048,485.
South Florida Securities and Precious Metals FINRA Arbitration and Litigation Attorney:
Securities and Exchange Commission v. John Fowler, Jeffrey Fowler, and Julianne Chalmers, Civil Action No. 8:13-cv-1747-T-17TGW
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced that it filed an enforcement action on July 5, 2013 against John Fowler, a convicted felon, Jeffrey Fowler, a former Florida public school teacher, and Julianne Chalmers. The SEC charged John Fowler and Jeffrey Fowler with violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC also charged John Fowler and Julianne Chalmers with registration violations.
Securities and Exchange Commission Sustains FINRA Disciplinary Action against Registered Representative and Supervisor
The Securities and Exchange Commission has sustained disciplinary action by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) against William J. Murphy and Carl M. Birkelbach, formerly associated with member firm Birkelbach Investment Securities, Inc. In its opinion, the Commission sustained FINRA’s finding of sales practice violations by Murphy, which included discretionary trading without authorization, unauthorized trading, unsuitable and excessive trading, churning, and the creation and distribution of misleading communications. In one customer account at issue, Murphy engaged in excessive options trading that generated over one million dollars in commissions in the span of approximately three-and-half years. The Commission also sustained FINRA’s findings of supervisory violations by Birkelbach for ignoring obvious and repeated red flags with regard to Murphy’s handling of customer accounts. Finally, the Commission has sustained FINRA’s imposition of sanctions: a bar in all capacities and the disgorgement of $585,174.67 for Murphy and bar in all capacities for Birkelbach.
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