SEC ALLEGES CANADIAN RESIDENT USED BUSINESS AS PONZI SCHEME

The following excerpt is from the SEC website: November 17, 2011 “The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that, on November 16, 2011, it charged a New Hampshire business directed by a Canadian resident with obtaining over $1.3 million from investors in a fraudulent Ponzi scheme. The SEC also announced that Judge Joseph N. Laplante of the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire has issued a temporary restraining order that, among other things, freezes the assets of the company and its principal and prohibits them from continuing to solicit or accept investor funds. In its complaint, the SEC alleges that Henry Roche, a Canadian resident, through New Futures Trading International Corporation has been engaged in an ongoing unregistered offering of securities in the United States through operations in New Hampshire and Ontario, Canada. According to the Complaint, since December 2010 Roche has raised over $1.3 million from at least 14 investors in nine states through the offer and sale of high yield promissory notes purportedly yielding either 5-10% per month, or a 200% return within 14 months. The Complaint alleges that Roche represented to some investors that funds supplied would be invested in bonds, Treasury notes and/or 10-year Treasury note futures contracts, and to others that the funds would be invested directly in New Futures, an on-line futures day-trading training business Roche was operating from Canada. According to the complaint, instead of using the funds for either purpose, Roche used approximately $937,000 provided by New Futures investors to make Ponzi “interest” payments to investors in prior Roche-controlled entities. The Complaint also alleges that Roche misappropriated at least another $359,000 to support his lifestyle, to operate a horse breeding venture, Majestic Horses, and to buy horses. The Complaint alleges that Roche’s present activity through New Futures appears to be the continuation of an ongoing investment scheme Roche has been operating over the past three years under a series of entity names, including Masters Palace, Inc., and Third Realm Institute (a/k/a Third Realm, Inc.). The Commission’s complaint charges Roche and New Futures Trading International Corporation with violating Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The Commission acknowledges the assistance of the Ontario Securities Commission and the New Hampshire Bureau of Securities in this matter.”

SEC CHARGES FORMER MADOFF EMPLOYEE WITH CREATING FAKE TRADES

The following excerpt is from the SEC website: “Washington, D.C., Nov. 21, 2011 – The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a longtime Bernie Madoff employee with fraud for his role in creating fake trades to facilitate the massive Ponzi scheme. The SEC alleges that David Kugel, who worked at Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (BMIS) for nearly four decades, was asked by Madoff to provide the firm’s investment advisory operations with backdated arbitrage trade information to be formulated into fictitious trading on investors’ account statements. Kugel’s own account at BMIS was among those in which backdated trades were entered, and he withdrew nearly $10 million in “profits” from the fictitious trading over several years. "Kugel helped Madoff maintain the elaborate and enduring facade that his clients were engaged in actual trading when in fact no such trading occurred," said George S. Canellos, Director of the SEC's New York Regional Office. "Kugel withdrew millions of dollars of phony profits that he knew weren't from actual trading activity." The SEC previously charged two other longtime Madoff employees Annette Bongiorno and JoAnn Crupi for their roles in producing phony account statements that were sent to Madoff investors. According to the SEC’s complaint against Kugel filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Bongiorno and Crupi and other staff in Madoff’s investment advisory (IA) operations used the information provided by Kugel to formulate fictitious trades to appear on investor account statements. The SEC alleges that sometime in the early 1970s after Kugel began his career with Madoff as an arbitrage trader in the firm’s proprietary trading business, Madoff informed Kugel that BMIS managed money for outside clients. He asked Kugel to provide the firm’s IA operations with backdated convertible arbitrage trades for inclusion on investor account statements. Some of these trades replicated successful trades that Kugel had actually made for BMIS proprietary trading operations. Other trades were based on historical information that Kugel obtained from old newspapers. According to the SEC’s complaint, Bongiorno and Crupi regularly asked Kugel for backdated information about trades amounting to millions of dollars. After Kugel provided the information, Crupi and Bongiorno would then design trades that totaled that amount. These fictitious trades were highly profitable on an annualized basis, and appeared on account statements and trade confirmations sent to investors. Kugel, who opened his own BMIS account, received these account statements and trade confirmations as well. The SEC alleges that Kugel provided backdated trade information for IA accounts, including his own. He withdrew the purported “profits” of these trades even though he knew they weren’t proceeds of actual trading activity. One trade in S&P index options in 2007 earned Kugel a profit of more than $375,000 in just a few weeks. Kugel withdrew almost $10 million from his BMIS IA accounts from 2001 to 2008. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has filed parallel criminal charges against Kugel, who has pled guilty and also agreed to settle the SEC’s civil charges. Subject to court approval, the civil case will result in a permanent injunction against Kugel, who must forfeit his ill-gotten monetary gains upon entry of a criminal forfeiture order in the criminal case. The SEC’s complaint against Kugel alleges that by engaging in this conduct, Kugel violated and aided and abetted violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; aided and abetted violations of Sections 204, 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 204-2 thereunder, and Sections 15(c) and 17(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-3 and 17a-3 thereunder. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Kristine M. Zaleskas and Aaron P. Arnzen of the New York Regional Office. The Commission thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its coordination and assistance. The SEC’s investigation is continuing.”

SEC ALLEGED CPA INSIDE TRADER WILL GIVES BACK GAINS PLUS TO PAY FINE

The following excerpt is from the SEC website: November 18, 2011 “The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that it has filed and, subject to Court approval, simultaneously settled charges against Mark A. Konyndyk, CPA, for insider trading in advance of a tender offer. The Commission’s complaint alleges that Konyndyk, a former manager in the Transaction Advisory Services Group of Ernst & Young (“E&Y”), learned through his work at E&Y that Activision, Inc. was the target of highly confidential acquisition talks, code-named “Project Sego,” in which Vivendi S.A. was the potential acquirer. In particular, Konyndyk performed due-diligence work on Project Sego for E&Y’s client, Vivendi, billing 36 hours to the engagement. Both before and shortly after his departure from E&Y’s employ on November 2, 2007, including just days before the December 2, 2007, public announcement of the Vivendi-Activision merger, Konyndyk bought Activision out-of-the-money call options with near-term expirations. He sold the options shortly after the public announcement, earning gross profits of $9,725. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Konyndyk has agreed to settle the Commission’s allegations against him, and the complaint and settlement papers were submitted simultaneously to the Court for its consideration. In particular, Konyndyk signed a consent that provides—subject to approval by the Court—for the entry of a final judgment permanently enjoining him against future violations of the Section 14(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 14e-3 thereunder. The final judgment to which Konyndyk consented would further order that he is liable for disgorgement of $9,725 (comprising all the profits flowing from his own illegal trading) plus $1,789.28 in prejudgment interest thereon as well as a $9,725 civil penalty, but allow him one year to pay the foregoing sums. Additionally, Konyndyk consented, in related administrative proceedings, to the entry of a Commission order that would suspend him, pursuant to Commission Rule of Practice 102(e), from appearing or practicing before the Commission as an accountant, with a right to seek reinstatement after two years. If approved by the Court, this settlement would fully resolve this case. The Commission acknowledges the assistance of the Options Regulatory Surveillance Authority.”

SEC ANNOUNCES BODY ARMY CORPORATE DIRECTORS TO $1.6 MILLION TO SETTLE ACCOUNTING FRAUD CHARGES

The following excerpt is from the SEC website: November 15, 2011 “The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida ordered three former directors to pay more than $1.6 million in monetary sanctions to settle charges that they were involved in an accounting fraud at a major supplier of body armor to the U.S. military and law enforcement agencies. The settlements by Cary Chasin, Jerome Krantz and Gary Nadelman - former members of the board of directors at Pompano Beach, Fla.-based DHB Industries - impose permanent officer-and-director bars in addition to monetary sanctions. The final judgments entered on November 10, 2011, find Chasin liable for disgorgement of $100,000 plus prejudgment interest of $5,723 and a penalty of $100,000; Krantz liable for disgorgement of $375,000 plus prejudgment interest of $21,464 and a penalty of $100,000, and Nadelman liable for disgorgement of $820,000 plus prejudgment interest of $46,935 and a penalty of $100,000. The final judgments also bar Chasin, Krantz and Nadelman from acting as officers or directors of any issuer that has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In addition, the final judgments enjoin Chasin, Krantz and Nadelman from violating Sections 10(b) and 14(a) and Rules 10b-5 and 14a-9 of the Exchange Act and from aiding and abetting violations of Sections 10(b), 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), and 13(b)(2)(B) and Rules 10b-5, 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 of the Exchange Act, and enjoins Nadelman from violating Section 13(b)(5) and Rules 13b2-1 and 13b2-2 of the Exchange Act. Chasin, Krantz and Nadelman agreed to settle the SEC's charges without admitting or denying the allegations.”

SEC TRIES TO STOP IPO SCAM OF TECH COMPANIES LIKE FACEBOOK AND GROUPON

The following excerpt is from the SEC website: “Washington, D.C., Nov. 17, 2011 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed an emergency enforcement action to stop a fraudulent scheme targeting investors seeking coveted stock in Internet and technology companies like Facebook and Groupon in advance of a public offering. The SEC alleges that Florida resident John A. Mattera and several other individuals carried out the scam using a newly-minted hedge fund named The Praetorian Global Fund. They falsely claimed that the fund and affiliated Praetorian entities owned shares worth tens of millions of dollars in privately-held companies that were expected to soon hold an initial public offering (IPO) including Facebook, Groupon, and others. Taking advantage of investor interest in pre-IPO shares that are virtually impossible for company outsiders to obtain, Mattera and others solicited funds and gave investors a false sense of comfort that their money was protected by telling them that an escrow service was receiving their funds. In reality, according to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, Mattera and his cohorts never owned the promised pre-IPO shares in these companies. The purported escrow service, headed by John R. Arnold of Florida, merely transferred investor funds to personal accounts controlled by Mattera and Arnold. After Arnold took a cut of the money for himself, Mattera stole most of the remaining funds to afford his lavish personal expenses and pay others for their roles in the scheme. “By conjuring up a seemingly prestigious hedge fund and touting the safety of an escrow agent, these men exploited investors’ desire to get an inside track on a wave of hyped future IPOs,” said George S. Canellos, Director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office. “Even as investors believed their funds were sitting safely in escrow accounts, Mattera plundered those accounts to bankroll a lifestyle of private jets, luxury cars, and fine art.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which conducted a parallel investigation of the matter, today filed criminal charges against Mattera, who was arrested earlier today. The SEC is seeking an emergency court order to freeze the assets of Mattera, Arnold, Joseph Almazon of Hicksville, N.Y., David E. Howard II of New York City, Bradford Van Siclen of Montclair, N.J., and eight different entities also charged in the SEC’s complaint. The SEC alleges that Mattera, who has been a subject of a prior SEC enforcement action and several state criminal actions, used investor proceeds to compensate Van Siclen and others for their involvement in promoting the fraudulent offerings. Howard, who was separately charged by the SEC earlier this year for his role in a boiler room operation, worked for Mattera as an authorized representative of the Praetorian hedge fund. Mattera, Van Siclen, and Howard were each actively involved in providing false documents and information to broker-dealer representatives in pitching their clients to invest in the Praetorian entities. They raised at least $12 million from investors across the country during the past 15 months. Almazon controls Long Island-based unregistered broker-dealer Spartan Capital Partners, which raised a significant portion of the money in the Praetorian entities. The SEC’s complaint alleges that Spartan Capital solicited investments by phone, word of mouth, and advertisements on professional networking website LinkedIn.com. One advertisement read in part: “[Spartan] can offer the opportunity to buy pre-IPO shares of the following companies: Facebook, Twitter, Zynga, Bloom Energy, Fisker, and Groupon.” Another ad stated: “We have access to Fisker Auto, Groupon, Ren Ren, Bloom Energy and many more! Unlike most of the other investment banking firms, we let you sell your shares right at the open! You also do not need to be in NY to invest in our IPOs!” According to the SEC’s complaint, the purported escrow accounts at Arnold’s firm — First American Service Transmittals Inc. (FAST) — played a critical role in the fraudulent scheme. Mattera and Van Siclen told investors verbally and in writing that their investments would be held in escrow with FAST. Arnold, who was charged together with Mattera in a previous SEC enforcement action, falsely held out FAST as an escrow agent for the investments. Almost immediately after receiving investors’ deposits, however, Arnold released the money to himself and entities controlled by Mattera, who misappropriated investors’ funds for private jets, luxury cars, fine art, jewelry, and other personal uses. He also transferred money to his mother Ann Mattera and his wife Lan Phan. They are named as relief defendants in the SEC’s complaint for the purpose of reclaiming investor funds unrightfully in their possession. The SEC’s complaint charges Mattera, Van Siclen, the Praetorian Fund, Praetorian G Power I LLC, Praetorian G Power II LLC, Praetorian G IV, Praetorian G Power V LLC, and Praetorian G Power VI LLC, Arnold, and First American Service Transmittals Inc. with violations, or aiding and abetting violations of, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5. The complaint further charges Mattera, Van Siclen, the Praetorian G entities, Almazon, Spartan Capital Partners, and Howard with violating Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act by engaging in the unregistered offering of securities, and Almazon and Spartan Capital with violations of Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act by acting as unregistered brokers. The SEC seeks a temporary restraining order as well as preliminary and permanent injunctive relief and financial penalties against the defendants, as well as disgorgement by defendants and relief defendants of their ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest. The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, has been conducted by Karen Willenken, Michael Osnato, Richard Needham, and Yvette Quinteros of the New York Regional Office. The SEC’s litigation effort will be led by Preethi Krishnamurthy. The SEC thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Internal Revenue Service, and Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority for their assistance in this matter."

DOCTOR PRESCRIBED TRADING SCHEME THAT SAVED HEDGEFUNDS $30 MILLION

The following excerpt is from the SEC website: November 17, 2011 “The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that on November 16, 2011, the Honorable Deborah A. Batts of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York entered final judgments against Dr. Joseph F. Skowron III and Dr. Yves M. Benhamou in the SEC’s insider trading case, SEC v. Joseph F. “Chip” Skowron III, et al., Civil Action No. 10-CV-8266-DAB (S.D.N.Y.). The SEC charged Benhamou, a French doctor and medical researcher, with unlawfully tipping material, non-public information to Skowron, a former hedge fund portfolio manager, who was charged with using the inside information to trade ahead of a January 23, 2008 negative announcement, helping the hedge funds he managed avoid losses of approximately $30 million. At the time of the alleged conduct, Skowron managed six health care-related hedge funds affiliated with FrontPoint Partners LLC. The SEC alleged that Skowron sold hedge fund holdings of Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGSI) based on tips he received unlawfully from Benhamou, who served on the Steering Committee overseeing HGSI’s clinical trial for Albuferon, a potential drug to treat Hepatitis C. Benhamou tipped Skowron with material, non-public information about the trial as he learned of negative developments that occurred in December 2007 and January 2008. In response, Skowron ordered the sale of the entire position in HGSI stock — approximately six million shares held by the six funds. HGSI announced changes to the trial resulting from the negative developments on January 23, 2008, which led to a 44 percent drop in share price by the end of the day. The hedge funds avoided losses of approximately $30 million by selling their positions in advance of the news. The SEC alleged that, at various points in the relationship, including after the illegal HGSI trades were completed, Skowron gave Benhamou envelopes of cash both in appreciation of his work and to induce Benhamou to lie about their communications. The final judgments permanently enjoin Skowron and Benhamou from violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933. Skowron was ordered to disgorge $29,017,156 (a joint and several obligation with the relief defendants), plus $1,360,000 (for which he is individually obligated), plus prejudgment interest of $5,142,782, and to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $2,720,000. Benhamou was ordered to disgorge $52,138, plus prejudgment interest of $8,237. The six hedge funds, which were named solely as relief defendants, were ordered to disgorge $29,017,156, plus prejudgment interest of $4,003,669; the final judgment against Skowron provides that his disgorgement and prejudgment interest (but not penalty) obligation shall be credited dollar for dollar by amounts the relief defendants are ordered to disgorge and/or by amounts that Skowron is ordered to forfeit in the related criminal action. Both Skowron and Benhamou pled guilty in parallel criminal cases before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, titled United States v. Joseph F. Skowron III, 11-CR-00699-DLC (S.D.N.Y.) and United States v. Yves M. Benhamou, 11-CR-336-GBD (S.D.N.Y.).”