SEC ANNOUNCES FRAUD CHARGES AGAINST COUPLE FOR "PATH TO RESIDENCY" INVESTOR FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against a husband and wife in Texas for stealing funds from foreign investors under the guise of an investment opportunity to create U.S. jobs and a path to U.S. residency.

The SEC alleges that Marco and Bebe Ramirez and three companies they own have fraudulently raised at least $5 million from investors by falsely promising that their money would be invested as part of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Pilot Program.  Through the program, foreign investors can earn conditional visas and eventually green cards by making investments in U.S. economic development projects that will create or preserve a minimum number of jobs for U.S. workers.  Instead of investing the money as promised, the Ramirezes routinely diverted investor funds to other undisclosed businesses and for their personal use.  In at least one instance, they used new investor funds to make Ponzi-like payments to an existing investor.

According to the SEC’s complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the Ramirezes initially targeted investors in Mexico, but more recently have solicited investors in Egypt and Nigeria.  The court has granted the SEC’s request to freeze the assets and accounts of the Ramirezes and their three companies: USA Now LLC, USA Now Energy Capital Group LP, and Now Co. Loan Services.  This effectively halts their ability to raise further money from investors or spend any remaining funds in the scheme.

“Through their investment scheme, the Ramirezes abused a program intended to attract foreign capital to create U.S. jobs,” said David R. Woodcock, Director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office.  “The Ramirezes misappropriated investor funds for their own purposes without any regard for the harm they caused investors who were seeking an avenue to U.S. residency.”

The SEC and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today issued a joint investor alert that provides additional information about the EB-5 program and cautions investors about fraudulent EB-5 schemes.  USCIS offered substantial assistance in the SEC’s investigation of the Ramirezes.  The EB-5 program is administered by USCIS and enables foreign investors to make their investments either directly in a business or through EB-5 “regional centers” that are private entities organized to promote economic development in specific geographic areas and industries.

According to the SEC’ s complaint, beginning in 2010, the Ramirezes sought approval from USCIS to register USA Now as an EB-5 regional center that would accept and direct investments from foreign investors into investment opportunities that would purportedly satisfy the EB-5 visa requirements.  But even before USCIS decided, the Ramirezes and other USA Now employees already had started soliciting investors with false promises about how their money would be invested.

The SEC alleges that the Ramirezes told investors that USA Now would hold their investments in escrow until they received USCIS approval.  And once the funds were released from escrow, they would be used for specific business purposes.  However, the Ramriezes failed to hold the funds in escrow as required, and instead routinely diverted the funds for other uses not described in offering materials, often on the same day the funds were received.  Among their misappropriations, the Ramirezes appear to have opened a Cajun-themed restaurant with investor funds and settled an unrelated lawsuit.  Meanwhile, none of the at least 10 investors identified by the SEC as victims of the scheme have received visas from USCIS, and none of their funds seem to remain in escrow.

“Even though investors provided the Ramirezes with at least $5 million, none of them have ever received conditional visas let alone green cards,” said David Peavler, Associate Director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office.  “Instead, the Ramirezes opened a restaurant and purchased other assets for themselves and their employees.”

The SEC’s complaint alleges that the Ramirezes and their companies violated and aided and abetted violations of the antifraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The complaint seeks various relief including preliminary and permanent injunctions, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, and financial penalties.

The SEC’s investigation has been conducted by Timothy Evans, Kimberly Cain, Ty Martinez, and Jonathan Scott of the Fort Worth Regional Office.  The SEC’s litigation will be led by Mr. Evans and David Reece.  The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

SEC SAYS THREE OIL SERVICES EXECUTIVES VIOLATED FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT

The following excerpt is from the SEC website:

"Washington, D.C., Feb. 24, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged three oil services executives with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by participating in a bribery scheme to obtain illicit permits for oil rigs in Nigeria in order to retain business under lucrative drilling contracts.

The SEC alleges that former Noble Corporation CEO Mark A. Jackson along with James J. Ruehlen, who is the current Director and Division Manager of Noble’s subsidiary in Nigeria, bribed customs officials to process false paperwork purporting to show the export and re-import of oil rigs, when in fact the rigs never moved. The scheme was designed to save Noble Corporation from losing business and incurring significant costs associated with exporting rigs from Nigeria and then re-importing them under new permits. B

ribes were paid through a customs agent for Noble’s Nigerian subsidiary with Jackson and Ruehlen’s approval.

The SEC separately charged Thomas F. O’Rourke, who was a former controller and head of internal audit at Noble. The SEC alleges that O’Rourke helped approve the bribe payments and allowed the bribes to be booked improperly as legitimate operating expenses for the company. O’Rourke agreed to settle the SEC’s charges and pay a penalty.

“These executives knowingly authorized and paid foreign officials to process false documents, and they consciously concealed the scheme from Noble’s audit committee,” said Gerald Hodgkins, Associate Director in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “When executives bribe government officials overseas, their misconduct puts their companies in legal peril and damages the integrity of foreign markets and the reputation of U.S. companies abroad.”

Noble Corporation was charged with FCPA violations as part of a sweep of the oil services industry in late 2010. The company cooperated with investigators and agreed to pay more than $8 million to settle civil and criminal cases.

According to the SEC’s complaint against Jackson and Ruehlen filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the executives who perpetrated the scheme worked at Noble Corporation and its Nigerian subsidiary Noble Drilling (Nigeria) Ltd, whose rigs operated in Nigeria on the basis of temporary import permits granted by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). These temporary permits allowed the rigs to be in the country for a one-year period. NCS had the discretion to grant up to three extensions lasting six months each, after which the rigs were required to be exported and re-imported under a new temporary permit or be permanently imported with the payment of sizeable duties.

The SEC alleges that Jackson and Ruehlen had a role in arranging, facilitating, approving, making, or concealing the bribe payments to induce Nigerian customs officials to grant new temporary permits illegally and favorably exercise or abuse their discretion to grant permit extensions. Together, Jackson and Ruehlen participated in paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to obtain about 11 illicit permits and 29 permit extensions. Jackson approved the bribe payments and concealed the payments from Noble’s audit committee and auditors. Ruehlen prepared false documents, sought approval for the bribes, and processed and paid the bribes.

The SEC’s complaint against Jackson and Ruehlen alleges they directly violated the anti-bribery provisions of Section 30A of the Securities Exchange Act and the internal controls and false records provisions at Section 13(b)(5) and Rule 13b2-1 of the Exchange Act. The complaint alleges that they aided and abetted Noble’s violations of Section 30A and the books and records and internal controls provisions at Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act. The complaint further alleges that Jackson directly violated Exchange Act Rule 13b2-2 by misleading auditors and Exchange Act Rule 13a-14 by signing false certifications of Noble’s financial statements. He also is liable as a control person under Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act for violations of the anti-bribery, books and records, and internal controls provisions by Noble, Ruehlen, and O’Rourke.

The SEC’s complaint against O’Rourke alleges that he aided and abetted Noble’s violations of the anti-bribery, books and records, and internal controls provisions of the Exchange Act, and that he directly violated the internal controls and false records provisions of the Exchange Act. Without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations, O’Rourke consented to entry of a court order requiring him to pay a $35,000 penalty and permanently enjoining him from further violations of Sections 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B), 13(b)(5) and 30A of the Exchange Act and Rule 13b2-1.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Moira T. Roberts, Sharan K.S. Custer, and Colin Rand, and the litigation effort will be led by Kenneth W. Donnelly. The SEC acknowledges the assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice, Fraud Section, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation."