SEC CHARGES FORMER BIOPHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY EXECUTIVE, TWO OTHERS WITH INSIDER TRADING

FROM:  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a former 

Former biopharmaceutical company executive and two others with insider trading on confidential information about the company’s key developmental drug.  The company’s stock price fell sharply when it announced clinical trial results for the drug.

Dr. Loretta Itri, president of pharmaceutical development and chief medical officer of Genta, Inc., her longtime friend, Dr. Neil Moskowitz, an emergency room physician, and one of his patients, were named in the insider-trading action.  In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, the SEC alleged that Itri obtained material nonpublic information about Genta’s clinical trial results for an experimental drug designed to treat advanced melanoma.  In a telephone conversation just one day before the public announcement of the drug trial results, Itri provided Moskowitz with material nonpublic information.  Minutes after that, Moskowitz sold his Genta securities and tipped a friend and patient, Mathew Cashin, concerning the results.  As a result of their trading based on material nonpublic information, Moskowitz and Cashin reaped approximately $139,000 of illegal gains.

“Itri was entrusted with highly confidential information by Genta, but betrayed her duty as an executive allowing a friend to profit,” said Amelia A. Cottrell, associate director of the SEC’s New York Regional Office.  “We will continue to hold company insiders responsible and punish this type of betrayal of trust.”

According to the SEC’s complaint, Itri was directly involved in the drug trials at Genta, and was one of the first to learn of the results prior to the public announcement on October 29, 2009.  Genta’s stock dropped approximately 70 percent on the news, and the SEC alleges that Moskowitz and Cashin obtained illegal gains by selling their Genta stock the day before the announcement.

The SEC’s complaint charges Itri, Moskowitz, and Cashin with violating federal antifraud laws and the SEC’s antifraud rule.  Without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, the three defendants agreed to settle the SEC’s charges against them.

The settlement, which is subject to court approval, would enjoin the defendants from further violations of the federal securities laws and require Itri to pay civil penalty of approximately $64,000 and bar her from serving as an officer or director of a public company for five years.  The settlement also requires Moskowitz to return $64,300 of allegedly ill-gotten gains, plus prejudgment interest of $9,556, and pay a civil penalty of $64,300.  The settlement requires Cashin to return $75,140 of allegedly ill-gotten gains, plus prejudgment interest of $10,955, and pay a civil penalty of $37,570, which reflects the cooperation Cashin provided to the SEC’s investigation.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Shannon Keyes, Charles D. Riely and Ella Wraga, and was supervised by Amelia A. Cottrell of the SEC’s New York Regional Office. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

PYRAMID SCHEME TARGETING DOMINICAN, BRAZILIAN IMMIGRANTS HALTED BY SEC

FROM:  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

SEC Halts Pyramid Scheme Targeting Dominican and Brazilian Immigrants

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that on Tuesday, April 15, 2014, it filed charges against the Massachusetts-based operators of a large pyramid scheme that mainly targeted Dominican and Brazilian immigrants in the U.S. The charges were filed under seal, in connection with the Commission's request for an immediate asset freeze. That asset freeze, which the U.S. District Court in Boston ordered on Wednesday, secured millions of dollars of funds and prevented the potential dissipation of investor assets. After the SEC staff implemented the asset freeze, at the SEC's request the Court lifted the seal today, permitting public announcement of the SEC's charges.

The SEC alleges that TelexFree, Inc. and TelexFree, LLC claim to run a multilevel marketing company that sells telephone service based on "voice over Internet" (VoIP) technology but actually are operating an elaborate pyramid scheme. In addition to charging the company, the SEC charged several TelexFree officers and promoters, and named several entities related to TelexFree as relief defendants based on their receipt of investor funds.

According to the SEC's complaint filed in federal court in Massachusetts, the defendants sold securities in the form of TelexFree "memberships" that promised annual returns of 200 percent or more for those who promoted TelexFree by recruiting new members and placing TelexFree advertisements on free Internet ad sites. The SEC complaint alleges that TelexFree's VoIP sales revenues of approximately $1.3 million from August 2012 through March 2014 are barely one percent of the more than $1.1 billion needed to cover its promised payments to its promoters. As a result, in classic pyramid scheme fashion, TelexFree is paying earlier investors, not with revenue from selling its VoIP product but with money received from newer investors.

According to the SEC's complaint, the defendants have continued enrolling new investors but recently changed TelexFree's method of compensating promoters, requiring them to actually sell the VoIP product to qualify for payments that TelexFree had previously promised to pay them. The complaint also alleges that since December 2013, TelexFree has transferred $30 million or more of investor funds from TelexFree operating accounts to accounts controlled by TelexFree affiliates or the individual defendants.

In addition to the TelexFree firms, the complaint charges TelexFree co-owner James Merrill, of Ashland, Mass., TelexFree co-owner and treasurer Carlos Wanzeler, of Northborough, Mass., TelexFree CFO Joseph H. Craft, of Boonville, Ind., and TelexFree's international sales director, Steve Labriola, of Northbridge, Mass. The SEC also charged four individuals who were promoters of TelexFree's program: Sanderley Rodrigues de Vasconcelos, formerly of Revere, Mass., now of Davenport, Fla., Santiago De La Rosa, of Lynn, Mass., Randy N. Crosby, of Alpharetta, Ga., and Faith R. Sloan, of Chicago.

The SEC's complaint alleges that TelexFree, Inc., TelexFree, LLC, Merrill, Wanzeler, Craft, Labriola, Rodrigues de Vasconcelos, De La Rosa, Crosby, and Sloan violated the registration and antifraud provisions of U.S. securities laws: Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Among other things, the SEC's complaint seeks, against these primary defendants, permanent injunctions prohibiting further violations of the laws charged, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, and civil monetary penalties. The SEC also charged three entities related to TelexFree (TelexFree Financial, Inc., TelexElectric, LLLP, and Telex Mobile Holdings, Inc.) as relief defendants based on their receipt of investor funds, and seeks disgorgement of those funds plus prejudgment interest.

Looking at Corporate Governance from the Investor’s Perspective

Looking at Corporate Governance from the Investor’s Perspective

COMPANY TO PAY PENALTY FOR VIOLATING MINIMUM FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT RULES

FROM:  U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 
Capital Market Services, LLC Ordered to Pay $275,000 Penalty to Settle CFTC Charges of Violating Minimum Financial Requirement Rules

Washington, DC–The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an Order filing and simultaneously settling charges that, between March 2009 and October 2012, Capital Market Services, LLC (CMS), a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and former Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED) headquartered in New York, New York, failed to comply with minimum financial requirements for FCMs and RFEDs. The CFTC Order requires CMS to pay a $275,000 civil monetary penalty and to cease and desist from violating the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC Regulations, as charged.

The Order recognizes CMS’s cooperation and corrective action it undertook after its deficiencies were discovered.

According to the Order, under CFTC regulations, an FCM must maintain adjusted net capital (ANC) equal to or in excess of the greatest of $1,000,000 or various other measures, including the “amount of [ANC] required by a registered futures association of which it is a member.” Between January 2009 and mid-December 2010, while a Forex Dealer Member (FDM) with the National Futures Association (NFA), CMS was subject to the NFA’s FDM Financial Requirements, which imposed ANC requirements that ranged between $15,000,000 and approximately $21,000,000. CFTC Regulations also require that an RFED maintains ANC of $20,000,000 plus five percent of its total retail forex obligation in excess of $10,000,000 at all times. CMS’s ANC requirement as an RFED was approximately $21,000,000.

CMS did not maintain its required ANC during at least 17 separate months between March 2009 and October 2012, with month-end ANC computations showing that CMS was undercapitalized by more than $19 million at one point, the Order finds.

CMS has been registered with the CFTC as an FCM since January 2002 and was registered as an RFED from September 2009 to mid-December 2010. CMS also operated as an FDM from approximately January 2009 until mid-December 2010.

The CFTC thanks the NFA for its assistance.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Kevin S. Webb, Brandon Tasco, Michael Solinsky, Charles D. Marvine, Paul G. Hayeck, and Richard Wagner. Annette Vitale of the CFTC’s Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight also assisted in this matter.

SEC TAKES ACTION IN FAILURE TO DISCLOSE CASE

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced enforcement actions against two leaders at a Las Vegas-based transfer agent firm who were responsible for disclosure failures in registration forms filed with the SEC.

Empire Stock Transfer Inc. and the two individuals agreed to settle the SEC’s charges.

Publicly traded companies typically use transfer agents to keep track of individuals and entities that own their stocks and bonds.  Transfer agents generally act as an intermediary for the company, issue and cancel certificates upon changes in ownership, and handle certificates that are lost, destroyed, or stolen.  Transfer agents must file registration forms with the SEC and include information about the individuals who control or finance the firm.  The forms must be amended whenever any information becomes inaccurate or incomplete.

An SEC examination and subsequent investigation found that Empire’s sole owner according to its registration forms – Patrick R. Mokros – failed to disclose that he relied on another individual to finance the purchase of the firm.  Also not disclosed in Empire’s forms is the fact that Mokros allowed his financier to play a significant role in the firm’s operations and receive a substantial portion of the profits.

The SEC also found that Empire’s registration forms failed to disclose the role of another leader at the firm – Matthew J. Blevins – who was hired in January 2007 to run Empire’s day-to-day operations and oversee the firm’s finances.  Empire didn’t update its registration forms to disclose the additional control person until last month as the SEC’s investigation was winding down.

“Transfer agents ensure the orderly transfer of securities, and it’s critical for such gatekeepers to accurately disclose who is financing and controlling their operations,” said Michele Wein Layne, director of the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office.  “Empire’s filings told a different story than what was actually happening behind the scenes.”

The SEC’s order instituting settled administrative proceedings finds that Empire, Mokros, and Blevins committed or caused violations of Sections 17(a)(3) and 17A(c)(2) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rules 17Ac2-1(a) and (c).  Empire and Mokros agreed to pay a $50,000 penalty and Blevins agreed to pay a $25,000 penalty to settle the SEC’s charges.  Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, Empire, Mokros and Blevins agreed to a censure and must cease and desist from committing or causing further violations.  Empire must retain an independent compliance consultant.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Ronnie Lasky, Kelly Bowers, and Diana Tani of the Los Angeles Regional Office.  The examination that led to the investigation was conducted by Cindy Wong, Erik Barker, and Ed Brady of the Los Angeles office.

HONOLULU RESIDENT CHARGED WITH USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO DEFRAUD INVESTORS

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced fraud charges against a Honolulu woman posing as an investment banker and soliciting investors through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media.

An SEC investigation found that Keiko Kawamura engaged in two separate fraudulent schemes to raise money from investors while casting herself as an investment and hedge fund expert when in fact she had virtually no prior trading experience.  In one scheme, she sought investors for her self-described hedge fund and posted on Twitter some screenshots of brokerage account statements suggesting she was personally obtaining incredible investment returns.  However, the account statements were not hers.  And instead of investing the money she raised from investors, she spent it on her own living expenses and luxury trips to Miami and London.  In a later scheme, Kawamura continued to boast phony experience to attract investors to her subscription service for investment advice.  She falsely told subscribers that she had been in the investment banking industry for nearly a decade and had achieved 800 percent returns in her personal brokerage account.

“As alleged in our case, Kawamura used social media to ensnare investors and raise money to support her lifestyle,” said Michele Wein Layne, director of the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office.  “Investors should beware of fraudsters who use social media to hide behind anonymity and reach many investors with little to no cost or effort.”

The SEC’s order instituting administrative proceedings alleges that Kawamura willfully violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5, and Sections 206(1), 206(2), and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 20(4)-8.  The administrative proceedings will determine any remedial action or financial penalties that are appropriate in the public interest against Kawamura.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Brent Smyth and Finola H. Manvelian of the Los Angeles Regional Office.  The SEC’s litigation will be led by Donald Searles.