Broker Fraud: Ex-Investors Capital Rep. is Indicted in Ponzi Scheme, Credit Suisse Sues Two Ex-Brokers Over Client Data Theft, and SEC Files More Insider Trading in IBM-SPSS Acquisition

Ex-Investors Capital Rep. Charged in $2.5M Ponzi Scam
Patricia S. Miller, a former Investors Capital Corp. representative, has been indicted on charges that she ran a $2.5 million investment fraud. She is accused of promising clients high yields for placing funds in “investment clubs.” Miller allegedly took this money and either gambled it away or used it to pay for her own spending.

According to prosecutors in Massachusetts, alleged fraud took place from 2002 through May 2014. Investors Capital fired Miller last month. Her BrokerCheck Report notes that the independent broker-dealer let her go because she allegedly misappropriated funds, borrowed client money, generated false documents, and engaged in “fraudulent investment activity.” Miller is charged with five counts of wire fraud.

Credit Suisse Sues Former Advisers For Allegedly Stealing Client Data
Credit Suisse Securities (CS) is suing John Delehanty and David Starker for violating their non-solicitation agreements when leaving the firm. The firm is accusing the men of taking client lists and sending confidential information to their personal accounts before going to work with J.P. Morgan Securities (JPM). The firm has also filed a claim with FINRA seeking damages.

In dispute was a contact list consisting of about 3,00 names that Starker sent from his Credit Suisse work e-mail account to his personal one. The list included notes about prospective clients. Delehanty is also accused of sending confidential client information to his personal e-mail account.

Under the Protocol for Broker Recruiting, which has been signed by about 1,100 brokerage firms, a broker is not subject to litigation when recruited to another firm as long as they bring just a spreadsheet that contains only certain client data, such as phone numbers and names. Anything more is considered a violation. However, this can be undone if the broker gives back the information when resigning. Credit Suisse said that Delehanty and Starker did not answer request by the firm to follow this protocol.

SEC Files More Insider Trading Charges in IBM-SPSS Acquisition
The Securities and Exchange Commission is charging two more brokers with insider trading prior to IBM’s acquisition of SPSS Inc. in 2009. Ex-representatives Daryl M. Payton and Benjamin Durant III allegedly traded illegally on the information that the deal was going to happen. They got the tip from another broker, Thomas C. Conrad.

Now, the regulator wants ill-gotten gains of about $300,000 returned, along with financial penalties, interest, and permanent injunctions. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has filed a parallel action against the two men.

The SEC had previously filed insider trading charges against Conradt and David J. Weishaus, also a broker and tippee. They got the information from Conradt’s roommate, research analyst Trent Martin, who received the data from an attorney who worked on the deal. The three men have settled with the SEC. They entered guilty pleas in their criminal cases.

SEC Charges Former Brokers with Trading Ahead of IBM-SPSS Acquisition, SEC, June 25, 2014

Ex-Credit Suisse brokers sued over alleged theft of client data, InvestmentNews, June 30, 2014

Advisor Indicted In Long-Running Ponzi Scheme, FA-Mag, June 30, 2014

More Blog Posts:
Ponzi Scams: FINRA Bars Ex-Raymond James Broker Over $3M Ponzi Scam, Expels Success Trade Securities, Inc. for Bilking NFL and NBA Players, Stockbroker Fraud Blog, June 27, 2014

BNP Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges Over Sanctions Violations, Pays $8.8B Fine, Institutional Investor Securities Blog, June 30, 2014

Credit Suisse Admits Wrongdoing and Will Pay $196M to Settle SEC Charges That It Provided Unregistered Services to US Customers, Stockbroker Fraud, February 22, 2014