SEC OBTAINS FINAL JUDGEMENT IN PENNY STOCK REGISTRATION CASE

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

SEC Obtains Final Consent Judgments Against Four Individuals and Certain Entity Defendants in Securities Registration Case

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that on August 12, 2014, the Honorable Shira A. Scheindlin of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York approved settlements and entered final judgments against all the individual defendants, Danny Garber, Michael Manis, Kenneth Yellin, Jordan Feinstein, and certain entity defendants in SEC v. Garber et al., 12-cv-9339 (SAS) (S.D.N.Y.). The SEC's Second Amended Complaint alleges that the defendants violated Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, from at least 2007 through 2010, by purchasing over a billion unregistered shares in dozens of penny stock companies and reselling the shares to the investing public without complying with the registration provisions of the securities laws.

Without admitting or denying the allegations, Garber, Manis, Yellin and Feinstein have each agreed to final judgments that enjoin them from any future violations of Section 5 of the Securities Act and require them to pay a $25,000 civil penalty. The final judgment against Garber also includes a permanent penny stock bar, permanently enjoins him from participating in unregistered offerings and requires him to pay disgorgement of $862,000 plus prejudgment interest of $113,000. The final judgments against Manis, Yellin and Feinstein permanently enjoin them from participating in any offering made pursuant to Rule 504 of Regulation D, require Manis to pay disgorgement of $862,000 plus prejudgment interest of $113,000, and require Yellin and Feinstein to each pay disgorgement of $314,550 plus prejudgment interest of $41,419. The entity defendants Coastal Group Holdings, Inc., the OGP Group LLC, Rio Sterling Holdings LLC, Slow Train Holdings LLC, and Spartan Group Holdings LLC have agreed to final judgments that enjoin them from any future violations of Section 5 of the Securities Act.