SEC News: Regulator Grants $30M Whistleblower Award and Charges Washington Investment Advisory Firm $600K for Undisclosed Principal Transaction, False Advertising

Whistleblower to Get Over $30M Award in SEC Case
In its largest whistleblower award yet, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will pay a bounty of over $30 million to an informant. Seeing that a whistleblower may be entitled to 10-30% of the amount recovered under the Dodd-Frank program, if the quality, unique information the person provided led to an enforcement action resulting in sanctions of over $1 million, a huge sum was obviously recovered.

In this particular case, the whistleblower resides abroad. Andrew Ceresney, SEC Enforcement Division Director, said that the individual brought the agency information about a fraud that otherwise would have been very hard to detect. He stated that whistleblowers anywhere in the world should see this latest award as incentive to report possible violations involving U.S. securities fraud.

The largest whistleblower award prior to this one was $14 million. That case targeted foreigners that invested in a real estate scam in the U.S without their knowledge. The investors were hoping to qualify for a program that gives residency green cards for investment efforts that create jobs domestically.

Strategic Capital Group LLC Settles SEC Charges for $600K
The SEC is charging a Tacoma-Washington area investment advisory firm with involvement in hundreds of principal transactions via an affiliated brokerage firm and not telling clients or getting their required consent. Strategic Capital Group is paying nearly $600,000 to resolve the charges. N. Gary Price, its CEO, is accused of causing the violations. He will pay $50,000 to settle the regulator’s charges against him.

According to Commission, Strategic Capital took part in over 1,100 principal transactions via affiliate RP Capital LLC, without the requisite customer consent. It also did not try to obtain best execution for these transactions. Meantime, Price put his signature on regulatory filings that falsely stated that the firm did not take part in principal transactions.

Principal transactions can create potential conflicts between the interests of the client and the adviser. Because of this advisors must disclose in writing any conflicted role or financial interest when giving a client advise on the trade’s other side, as well as get the latter’s consent.

The SEC also accused Strategic Capital of giving prospective investors misleading and false advertisements and not implementing the correct compliance procedures. Without admitting or denying the agency’s findings, the investment advisory firm and Price consented to cease and desist from causing or committing future violations of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940’s provisions involving principal transactions, antifraud, compliance, advertising, and reporting.

Contact our SEC fraud lawyers if you suspect that your financial losses are due to securities fraud , or some other form of financial misconduct, or if you need to speak with a securities whistleblower lawyer.

The SEC Order Regarding Whistleblower Award (PDF)

The SEC Order in the Strategic Capital Group Case (PDF)

More Blog Posts:
SEC Charges Immigration Attorneys with Securities Fraud Involving EB-5 Immigration investor Program, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, September 4, 2014

T.J. Malone’s Lincolnshire Management Settles with SEC for $2.3M Over Purportedly Improper Allocations That Cost Its Funds, Institutional Investor Securities Blog, September 23, 2014

Pennsylvania Private Equity Firm Settles SEC Charges Over “Pay to Play” Violations Related to Political Campaign Contributions, Institutional Investor Securities Blog, June 23, 2014