Ex-Och Ziff Hedge Fund Executive Indicted in NY Over Alleged Africa Investment Fraud A grand jury in Brooklyn, NY has indicted Michael Cohen, the ex-head of Och Ziff Capital Management’s European operations on fraud, conspiracy, and other criminal charges. According to prosecutors, Cohen hid a conflict of interest involving a…
The US Securities and Exchange Group announced that Khaled Bassily, the ex-head of ConvergEx Groups’ transition management business, has settled institutional investor fraud charges accusing him of taking part in a scam to hide from certain clients, which included religious organizations, retirement funds, and charities, that they were paying substantially…
The SEC has filed a case accusing broker Brian Hirsch of illegally receiving over $1M in secret kickbacks in return for giving some customers favored access to “lucrative” initial public offerings. The regulators said that these customers made money because of the special treatment. Meantime, prosecutors in New Jersey have…
Two Investment Advisers Accused of $20M Investor Scam The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed civil charges against investment advisors Ronald A. Fossum and Alonzo Cahoon. They are accused defrauding retail investors in an unregistered securities scam. According to the regulator, from about 3/2011 to 6/2016, Fossum raised over…
The SEC has filed fraud charge against Behavioral Recognition Systems, Inc. and its former CEO Ray C. Davis. According to the Commission, the Houston-based technology company, and Davis solicited over $28M from hundreds of investors, diverting over $7.8M to the latter’s personal use. Between 1/2013 and 7/2015, investors targeted in…
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed financial fraud charges against the Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC and its owner Robert H. Shapiro. The Woodbridge Group is comprised of unregistered investment companies. According to the regulator, Woodbridge and Shapiro ran a $1.2B Ponzi Scam that bilked over 8,400 investors,…
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has placed a temporary halt on trading in The Crypto Company (CRCQ) stock until January 3, 2018. The company’s stock has just seen a 2,700 percent rise in price. It recently agreed to purchase a German cryptocurrency data platform called Coin Tracking E. K.…
Provectus Accused of Disclosure and Accounting Controls Violations Related to Executive Perks The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed civil charges against the biopharmaceutical company Provectus. According to the regulator, the Tennessee-based company committed violations related to disclosures and accounting controls. Among the alleged failures was that Provectus did…
Ex-Wells Fargo Brokers Barred Over Unsuitable Energy Securities Sales The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has barred brokers Charles Lynch and Charles Frieda for making unsuitable recommendations to investors, resulting in substantial financial losses to the latter. Lynch and Frieda are former Wells Fargo (WFC) representatives who were based in Southern…
The SEC has filed civil charges against Westport Capital Markets LLC and principal Christopher E. McClure. The Connecticut-based, dually registered brokerage firm and investment adviser and its principal are accused of defrauding clients, costing them over $1M in losses. According to the regulator’s securities fraud complaint, the investment advisory firm…