The Securities and Exchange Commission filed suit in a New York Federal Court contending that Simpson Capital Management Inc., its owner and its head trader entered into late-trades in hundreds of mutual funds, defrauding the funds and their shareholders of approximately $57 million. The SEC claims that the defendants placed…
A hedge fund managed by Bear Stearns that takes both bullish and bearish positions in subprime loans has been hit heavily by conditions in that market. Some of the fund’s assets were held at Merrill Lynch, on margin. When the equity in the fund dropped, Merrill issued margin calls. The…
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley has introduced legislation that would require most hedge fund advisers to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Called the Hedge Fund Registration Act, the bill closes a loophole created by the U.S. Court of Appeals (DC) when it struck down a 2004 SEC rule requiring…
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that Justin Paperny, a former account vice president at UBS Financial Services, Inc., has pleaded guilty to helping Capital Management Group founder Keith Gilabert bilk at least $2.5 million from investors. Paperny pled guilty to wire fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud,…
On February 15, the NASD announced that it was charging two former prudential brokers with helping a hedge fund manager to time the market through variable annuities. The former broker’s supervisor was also charged with failure to properly supervise them. Both brokers were registered with Prudential Securities Inc., now called…
Bear Stearns Securities Corp. is being ordered to pay over $125 million to a bankruptcy trustee because of Manhattan Investment Fund, a collapsed hedge fund used by hedge fund principal Michael Berger to run a large scale fraudulent investment scam. The ruling was issued on February 15 by the U.S.…
The Massachusetts Division of Securities has filed an administrative complaint against Bulldog Investors General Partnership and the company’s principal, Phillip Goldstein. Bulldog Investors and Goldstein, as well as other individuals and firms, are being charged with offering unregistered securities for the purpose of selling them in Massachusetts. The securities officials…