Federal officials say that Jean “Richard” Charbit has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud in connection with a South Florida stock scam involving the microcap market that was under investigation by an undercover FBI sting. Charbit is facing a maximum 5 years in prison. He…
In a default judgment, The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is mandating that investment adviser Enrique Villalba and affiliated entities pay investors over $20 million. The 47-year-old has been sentenced to almost 9 years in prison for defrauding clients of over $30 million. Most of the…
“On May 6, 1010, the New York Stock Exchange was intentionally shut down for 90 seconds by those in charge,” recounts Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas Founder and Securities Fraud Lawyer William Shepherd. “When this happened there was no market (bid and ask quotes) for many large cap stocks, except…
Four ex- San Diego officials will pay $80,000 in fines to resolve municipal bond charges by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly misleading investors. Never before has the SEC obtained financial penalties against a city’s officials for municipal securities fraud. By agreeing to settle, ex-San Diego City Manager…
The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking comments on whether amendments should be made to federal securities laws so that private litigants can file transnational securities fraud lawsuits. Comments are welcomed until February 18, 2011. The SEC says to refer to File No. 4-617. In its request, the SEC points…
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled that without an injury, a mortgage-backed certificates holder cannot maintain a securities claim against MBS underwriter Goldman Sachs & Co. (GS) and related entities for allegedly misstating the risks involved in the certificates in their registration statement.…
A district court issued an emergency order this month to freeze the assets of Imperia Invest IBC. The order came after the Securities and Exchange Commission accused the internet-based investment company of operating a securities scam involving the British version of viatical settlements. According to the SEC, Imperia Invest IBC…
According Securities and Exchange Commission Inspector General H. David Kotz, there is no evidence that the SEC’s enforcement action against Goldman Sachs or the $550 million securities fraud settlement that resulted are tied to the financial services reform bill. Kotz also noted that it does not appear that any agency…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned the $32.5 million Shareholder settlement against DHB Industries because the agreement improperly released, under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the body-armor maker’s former CEO and CFO from liability. The case involves a shareholder complaint that was filed against DHB and a number…
This week, Oregon Attorney General John Groger and Treasurer Ted Wheeler announced that the state is suing University of Phoenix’s parent company, Apollo Group Inc. of Arizona, and several of its executives for securities fraud. The state officials claim that the plaintiffs misled investors in the firm’s financial statements about…