NFA Arbitration

Miami CEO Arrested on Commodities Fraud Charges

February 20, 2019 | Silver Law Group

Fabio Bretas de Freitas of Miami, Florida, was arrested on fraud and identity theft charges for allegedly misappropriating more than $5.5 million. He also allegedly attempted to deceive federal regulators and he impersonated a victim-investor.

The 53-year-old was taken into custody on December 6 and was then scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge.

“The defendant obtained more than $5.5 million from people who invested their money in good faith. But as alleged, instead of investing those funds as he had promised, the defendant used it to cover his own personal expenses, even going so far as to impersonate one of his own victims to deceive investigators,” said William F. Sweeney Jr., the assistant director in charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI. “Bretas’ arrest should serve as a stark reminder that those who seek to manipulate our financial systems for their personal gain will be identified and disrupted.”

Did OptionSellers.Com Trade your IRA on Margin

December 6, 2018 | Silver Law Group

iStock-476534078-300x231 OptionSellers.Com, operated by James Cordier and Michael Gross, promoted themselves as expert options traders able to manage money for retail investors promising they can produce consistent returns with limited risk. From offices in Tampa, Florida, Cordier and Gross touted their book “The Complete Guide to Options Selling” claiming to know “how selling options can lead to stellar returns in bull and bear markets.”

Now, OptionSellers.Com website has gone dark, and INTL FCStone, the commodities firm which maintained the customer accounts and managed the risk for loans and margin, claims that many investors owes them millions of dollars. Investors are wondering how INTL FCStone and OptionSellers.Com lost all the money.

While money was lost on naked options, investors allege that either OptionSellers.Com or INTL FCStone failed:

Commodities Fraud Attorneys Pursue INTL FCStone for OptionSellers.Com Investors

December 6, 2018 | Silver Law Group

iStock-476534078-300x231 Silver Law Group has been retained by investors to pursue claims against INTL FCStone for losses related to OptionSellers.Com. Our clients allege that OptionSellers.Com used a web of deceptive marketing materials, misrepresentation and deception to promote a speculative trading strategy which resulted in devastating losses. INTL FCStone allegedly allowed OptionSellers.Com to trade customer accounts including IRA accounts on margin or purchase naked options which caused losses greater than their principal investment. Further allegations relate to FCStone’s knowledge of OptionSellers’ activities and misrepresentations.

In late November 2018, OptionSellers.Com and INTL FCStone informed investors that despite previous representations regarding the safety and security of their investments, many investors had lost almost all of their investment and many investors owed additional margin calls. James Cordier has offered his victims a video apology, but many investors are shocked to learn about his regulatory history and lack of institutional knowledge regarding options trading.

Our Experienced Commodities Fraud Attorneys

OptionSellers.Com Suffers Losses After Natural Gas Declines

November 21, 2018 | Silver Law Group

It seemed like a great investment, in natural gas. But like many energy-based investments, there is a considerable volatility involved that’s an uncontrollable variable. In other words, you never know what may happen tomorrow, especially when trading options or using leverage.

Natural gas posted its biggest one-day percentage gain on November 14. The next day, it posted its largest one-day drop in 15 years. According to news stories, OptionSellers.com was betting that natural gas would continue to rise. When it didn’t, everything unraveled, and the company was forced to begin liquidation. Many investors borrowed through margin accounts, some with considerable amounts invested.

Margin-Account-Guidelines-300x200 Tampa, FL-based OptionSellers.com was a commodities trading firm that claimed to be experienced in this type of investment. The firm’s president and head trader, James Cordier, told a recent interviewer, “Our goal is to take an aggressive vehicle and manage it conservatively.” Unfortunately, that’s not exactly what happened. Trading “naked” on margin instead of “covered,” the firm left its investors vulnerable to unlimited exposure, leading to the losses. An article explains that “OptionSellers.com and its principals negligently engaged in a risky trading strategy that was unsuitable for its clients and breached its fiduciary duties to them by putting its interests ahead of its clients.”

CTFC Orders Restitution of $11.9M In Commodities Fraud

October 12, 2018 | Silver Law Group

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC) filed orders today that brought and settled cases against two commodities firms engaged in unauthorized trading and two traders attempting to manipulate commodity prices.

In the first case, Iowa-based Kooima & Kaemingk Commodities, Inc. (K&K), Lauren Kaemingk (Kaemingk), and Bradley Kooima (Kooima) were charged with:

Fraud

Securities Arbitration Claims Against National Securities Corp.

August 15, 2018 | Silver Law Group

According to some reports, nearly 1/3 of National Securities brokers have had regulatory issues, legal disputes, or personal financial problems that have been disclosed to investors

National Securities Corporation is one of the oldest financial firms in the U.S., dating back over 70 years. Its the main office is in Seattle, Washington, but the company has licenses to operate in every state in the country, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

National Securities Corporation is registered with the SEC and three self-regulatory organizations: Nasdaq, Cboe BZX Exchanged, Inc., and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) – and it is with the latter agency that the company has come under intense scrutiny over the last couple of decades.

Suspect You (or a Loved One) are a Victim of Elder Financial Fraud?

July 25, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Here’s what you need to do now

Elder financial fraud continues to be a lucrative scheme in America, which is why seniors and their loved ones always need to keep their guard up. We have previously discussed how to spot fraud and what some financial institutions are doing to prevent it, and this piece serves as a guide on what to do about the fraud that has occurred.

Victims, their family members, or caregivers should follow these steps to help limit the damage:

Winsome Investment Trust, U.S. Ventures LC, and their Individual Owners Assessed $44 Million Sanction for Commodity Pool Fraud and Misappropriation

July 2, 2014 | Silver Law Group

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has obtained a federal court Order imposing $44 million in sanctions against Robert J. Andres of Houston, TX; his company, Winsome Investment Trust (“Winsome”); Robert L. Holloway of San Diego, CA; and his company, US Ventures LC (“US Ventures”); for fraud in operating a commodities futures pool. The sanction includes a civil monetary penalty of over $32 million as well as a restitution award of $12 million to be paid to defrauded investors. The Order also imposes upon the individuals and companies a permanent trading and registration ban.

According to the Order entered by the Honorable Bruce S. Jenkins of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, Andres and Winsome (from May 2005 through November 2008) fraudulently solicited and accepted over $50 million from investors who were told that they would be investing in a commodity futures pool operated by Holloway and US Ventures. To garner the investors’ funds, Andres and Winsome purportedly made false statements claiming that the investment program had a successful track record and that each investor would be guaranteed a return of his/her principal plus profits. The Court found those representations to be false, as Holloway and US Ventures’ futures trading actually suffered nearly $11 million in net losses.

The Court went on to conclude that the defendants misappropriated the majority of participant funds to pay investors false “profits” in a manner akin to a Ponzi scheme and that the defendants used investor funds for other improper purposes, such as providing money to Andres’ wife, funding Holloway’s and his wife’s lavish personal expenses (houses, cars, jewelry, etc.), and investing in various unrelated and undisclosed businesses including a business Holloway’s wife ran on eBay. The Court Order explained that Andres and Holloway attempted to conceal the fraud by directing employees to falsify participants’ account records and to falsely represent to investors that the pool funds were trading profitably with virtually no losses during the relevant period.

Silver Law Group Named Commodities Law Firm of the Year by Finance Monthly

June 27, 2014 | Silver Law Group

Silver Law Group is proud to be awarded Commodities Law Firm of the Year by Finance Monthly magazine. According to Finance Monthly, “the Finance Monthly Global Awards reflect the very best of those professionals working in or within the finance industry today. Each winner has demonstrated excellence and stands out as a first among equals in what is a highly competitive sector.”

Silver Law Group routinely represents institutional and retail investors in commodities litigation and arbitration claims. Our attorneys routinely represent investors in claims before the CFTC and NFA arbitration. Amongst other accomplishments, our attorneys obtained confirmation of an NFA arbitration award against a top commodities clearing firm, represented several victims of MF Global and currently represents multiple victims of a Forex trading scheme.

If you have questions about your legal rights, or have been the victim of investment fraud, please contact Scott Silver of the Silver Law Group for a free consultation at ssilver@silverlaw.com or Toll Free at (800) 975-4345.

CFTC Shuts Down another Florida Ponzi Scheme

April 7, 2014 | Silver Law Group

In March 2014, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) obtained a supplemental Federal Court Order against Queen Shoals Consultants, LLC (“QSC”) and others to jointly pay in excess of five million dollars in penalties for defrauding customers in a currency or Forex trading scheme. None of the Defendants were registered with the National Futures Association or the CFTC. The Judge initially entered a permanent injunction finding that the Defendants defrauded customers in the Forex scheme and ordered the Defendants to pay restitution, amongst other sanctions.

According to a Court Order, a website “lured customers by claiming QSC and others had a ‘vast background in financial services’ with over 20 years of experience in financial services and a staff of experts ready to assist customers.” In truth, the Defendants were not experienced Forex traders and any promises or guarantees about profits were not true. In fact, there were no Forex accounts and the investors were the victim of a Ponzi scheme.

If you have been the victim of a Forex or commodities trading scheme and would like to discuss your legal rights, contact the Silver Law Group. We represent investors on a contingency fee basis in FINRA arbitration, NFA arbitration and state or federal court. Please contact Scott Silver of the Silver Law Group for a free consultation at ssilver@silverlaw.com or Toll Free at (855) 755-4799.