In Manhattan appeals court, a panel for the Appellate Division, First Department ruled that Ambac Assurance Corp. must prove all common law fraud elements in its mortgage-backed securities case against Countrywide Home Loans. The insurer, which underwrote 17 residential mortgage-backed securitizations, filed its RMBS fraud lawsuit against Bank of America’s…
A district court judge has sentenced Navin Shankar Subramaniam Xavier, formerly the CEO of Essex Holdings Inc., to 15 years behind bars because of his involvement in two fraud scams. Xavier pleaded guilty to two wire fraud counts in January. He ran Essex Holdings from 9/2010 through 5/2014, raising over…
Bloomberg reports that according to sources, the US Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a probe into Statim Holdings. Inc., an Atlanta, Georgia-based financial firm, after the latter told investors in its main hedge fund that there was no risk of financial losses for investing. The regulator’s investigation comes in…
The US Supreme Court said that it will hear a securities fraud lawsuit accusing Leidos Inc. (LDOS) of leaving out key information, as well as misstating other important ones, in securities filings. The lead plaintiff in the case is the Indiana Public Retirement System, which brought its complaint in 2012.…
Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas, LLP (“SSEK”) is pleased to announce that a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) arbitration panel has awarded an SSEK client a net of almost $9 million for his losses in Puerto Rico bonds and Puerto Rico Bond Funds. SSEK client, Dr. Luiz Romero Lopez, won…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is ordering Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments (PKS) to pay almost $3.4M in restitution to a Native American tribe. The tribe had paid excessive sales fees for the purchase of Business Development Companies (BDCs) and non-traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Gopi Vungarala was the Purshe…
Eight People Implicated in $39M Penny Stock Fraud Get Prison Sentences, Must Pay Restitution In Ohio, eight people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from almost two years to a dozen years for their involvement in a penny stock scam that caused investors to suffer $39M in losses. One of…
A 401(K) participant is suing Aon Hewitt for its purported involvement in a kickback scam involving Financial Engines. Aon Hewitt is not the first company to be subject to such allegations involving the 401(K) advice provider. According to a participant in the Caterpillar 401(k) Retirement Plan, the alleged “covert kickback…
The US Securities and Exchange Commission is charging two brokers with securities fraud. The regulator claims that Donald J. Fowler and Gregory T. Dean fraudulently employed an in-and-out trading strategy that was not suitable for customers so that they could make more in commissions. Because of their actions, 27 customers…
IT Specialist Accused of Hacking Expedia Executives and Insider Trading The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed civil insider trading charges against Jonathan Ly, who worked as a technology specialist for online travel company Expedia. According to the regulator, Ly hacked senior company executives and traded on company secrets…