CFTC CHARGES MICHIGAN MAN WITH COMMODITY POOL FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 

March 3, 2015

CFTC Charges Michigan Resident Jerry Stauffer with Commodity Pool Fraud and Other Violaions

Federal Court Issues Emergency Order Freezing Stauffer’s Assets and Protecting Books and Records

Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that Chief Judge Paul L. Maloney, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan issued an emergency Order freezing and preserving the remaining pool participant assets under the control of Defendant Jerry Stauffer of Traverse City, Michigan. The Order, entered under seal on February 25, 2015, also prohibits Stauffer from destroying books and records and grants the CFTC immediate access to those records.

The Order arises out of a civil enforcement Complaint filed under seal by the CFTC on the same date, charging Stauffer with fraudulently soliciting at least $968,000 from members of the public to trade foreign exchange (forex) in a commodity pool, by among other things, guaranteeing pool participants a monthly return on their investment based on profits purportedly earned from forex trading. The CFTC Complaint further alleges that Stauffer prepared and distributed to pool participants false account statements showing huge profits, while at the same time he traded very little forex and diverted pool participants’ funds for his own use. In addition to fraud, the Complaint alleges that Stauffer illegally operated a commodity pool.

In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks full restitution to defrauded pool participants, disgorgement of any ill-gotten gains, the payment of appropriate monetary penalties, permanent registration and trading bans, and a permanent injunction from future violations of federal commodities laws, as charged.

The CFTC appreciates the cooperation of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this matter.

CFTC Division Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Eugenia Vroustouris, Michelle Bougas, Kathy Banar, Erica Bodin, and Rick Glaser.

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CFTC’s Foreign Currency (Forex) Fraud and CFTC’s Commodity Pool Fraud Advisories

The CFTC has issued several customer protection Fraud Advisories that provide the warning signs of fraud, including the Foreign Currency Trading (Forex) Fraud Advisory, which states that the CFTC has witnessed a sharp rise in Forex trading scams in recent years and helps customers identify this potential fraud.

The CFTC has also issued a Commodity Pool Fraud Advisory, which warns customers about a type of fraud that involves individuals and firms, often unregistered, offering investments in

SEC CHARGES MICHIGAN CITY, FORMER LEADERS WITH FRAUD INVOLVING MUNI BOND OFFERING

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced fraud charges today against the City of Allen Park, Mich., and two former city leaders in connection with a municipal bond offering to support a movie studio project within the city.

An SEC investigation found that offering documents provided to investors during the Detroit suburb’s sale of $31 million in general obligation bonds contained false and misleading statements about the scope and viability of the movie studio project as well as Allen Park’s overall financial condition and its ability to service the bond debt.

The city and the two officials – former mayor Gary Burtka and former city administrator Eric Waidelich – have agreed to settle the SEC’s charges.

“Municipal bond disclosures must provide investors with an accurate portrayal of a project’s prospects and the municipality’s ability to repay those who invest,” said Andrew J. Ceresney, Director of the SEC Enforcement Division.  “Allen Park solicited investors with an unrealistic and untruthful pitch, and used outdated budget information in offering documents to avoid revealing its budget deficit.”

The SEC alleges that Burtka was an active champion of the project and in a position to control the actions of the city and Waidelich with respect to the fraudulent bond issuances.  Based on this control, the SEC charged Burtka with liability for violations committed by the city and Waidelich.  This is the first time the SEC has charged a municipal official under a federal statute that provides for “control person” liability.  Burtka has agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty.

“When a municipal official like Burtka controls the activities of others who engage in fraud, we won’t hesitate to use every legal avenue available to us in order to hold those officials accountable,” said LeeAnn Ghazil Gaunt, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit.

According to the SEC’s administrative order against Allen Park and its complaints against Burtka and Waidelich filed in federal court in Detroit, the city began planning the studio project in late 2008 with the belief it would bring much-needed economic development.  The state of Michigan had just enacted legislation that provided significant tax credits to film studios conducting business in Michigan.  The original plan detailed a $146 million facility with eight sound stages led by a Hollywood executive director, and the city initially planned to repay investors with $1.6 million in revenue from leases at the site.  Allen Park issued bonds on Nov. 12, 2009, and June 16, 2010, to raise funds to help develop the site.

The SEC’s order finds, however, that by the time the bonds were issued, Allen Park’s plans to implement and pay for the studio project had deteriorated into merely building and operating a vocational school on the site.  Yet none of these plan changes were reflected in the bond offering documents or other public statements, which continued to repeat the original plans for the movie studio project.  Investors were left uninformed not only about the deterioration of the project itself, but also the substantial impact it would have on the city’s ability to service the bond debt.  Without the planned revenues from the studio project, the expected annual debt payments on the bonds represented approximately 10 percent of the city’s total budget.  Furthermore, Allen Park used outdated budget information in the bond offering documents that did not reflect the city’s budget deficit of at least $2 million for fiscal year 2010.  The studio project completely collapsed within months after the second set of bonds were issued, and Michigan appointed an emergency manager for Allen Park in October 2010 while citing the failed project as a primary factor in the city’s deteriorating economic condition.

The SEC’s complaints allege that Waidelich as city administrator reviewed and approved the offering documents for the bonds.  Waidelich’s actions violated Section 17(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5(b).  Without admitting or denying the allegations, Waidelich has consented to a final judgment barring him from participating in any municipal bond offerings and enjoining him from future violations.  The SEC alleges that Burtka is liable as a control person under Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, based on his control of Waidelich and the city.  Without admitting or denying the allegations, Burtka consented to a final judgment requiring him to pay the $10,000 penalty, barring him from participating in any municipal bond offerings, and enjoining him from future violations.

The SEC’s order against Allen Park finds it violated Section 17(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Section 10 (b) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5(b).  The city agreed to cease and desist from future violations of those provisions.  The SEC considered certain remedial measures taken by the city, which settled the enforcement action without admitting or denying the findings.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Sally J. Hewitt of the Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit with assistance from John E. Birkenheier, John E. Kustusch, and Jean M. Javorski in the SEC’s Chicago Regional Office and Mark R. Zehner, Deputy Chief of the Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit.