SEC Actions

New York Securities Boiler Room Scheme Targeting Seniors

February 21, 2019 | Silver Law Group

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The SEC has brought additional charges against a Long-Island, New York-based boiler room that was sued for defrauding elderly and unsophisticated investors. The latest charges allege that Christian Romandetti, CEO of First Choice Healthcare Solutions Inc., the boiler room, and four others have committed fraud within the company’s shares and have generated more than $3.3 million of illegal profits. The new charges also allege that the parties generated more than $560,000 in kickbacks for Romandetti.

The SEC’S statement alleges that Romandetti and the other parties lied to more than 100 victims in a scheme that inflated First Choice’s stock price from less than $1 per share to $3.40 per share. From September 2013 until June 2016, the parties used several accounts to disguise their trading, and engaged in fraudulent trading practices. Elite Stock Research, a boiler room run by one of the defendants, Anthony Vassallo, was hired to promote First Choice to investors.

The SEC originally charged Elite Stock Research with bilking victims out of more than $10 million through fraudulent sales tactics and lies about penny stocks. Seven of the 13 individuals have pleaded guilty to criminal charges brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The litigation against the 13 individuals is still continuing.

Did You Lose Money With Atlanta, Georgia Stockbroker Sean Kelly?

February 21, 2019 | Silver Law Group

On October 25, 2018, the SEC obtained a court order to halt the alleged fraudulent actions of a registered stock broker and his companies.

The complaint by the SEC states that Sean Kelly used his companies, Lion’s Share Financial of East Cobb, Inc., Lion’s Share and Associates, Inc., and Lion Share Tax Services, LLC, to raise $1 million from a variety of investors. There were 12 investors, which included retirees. Kelly promised he would invest their funds into different investment products, but his promise was a lie. Instead of investing their funds into private placements and real estate, he used it on his own personal expenses. He continued to steal their money after receiving a SEC subpoena, and didn’t show up to his scheduled testimony. He used their money to buy Super Bowl tickets, expensive vacations, and also for cash withdrawals. The SEC alleges that Kelly has engaged in this fraud scheme since 2014, when he was still affiliated with Capital Financial Services.

Kelly was a representative of Center Street Securities from August 2017 to October 2018. He worked with Capital Financial Services from August 2012 to August 2017 in Marietta, Georgia. His records show that he filed for bankruptcy twice, in 2009 and in 2014.

New York City Broker Accused of Churning

February 20, 2019 | Silver Law Group

Churning-1024x683-300x200 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Emil Botvinnik of taking $3.7 million in a fraudulent scheme involving excessive, high-frequency trading. On November 7, 2018, he asked a New York federal judge to toss the suit because he claimed its allegations do not meet the pleading standard for fraud.

The claims against Botvinnik state that he wrongfully used his clients’ accounts while he was employed at Meyers Associates LP. However, Botvinnik denies these claims and he stated that there are no specific allegations that proves his clients were the type of unsophisticated investors who would not benefit from high-frequency trading. He also stated that his clients may only have been simply unaware of the trading strategy and its risks.

The SEC said that from June 2012 until November 2014, Botvinnik solicited five customers to open securities trading accounts for which he claimed he would employ a profitable trading strategy. He then implemented the strategy of frequent, short-term trades that forced significant costs and commissions on the investors. For example, the accounts would have had to reach an annual return of between 31 and 150 percent just to pay off the transaction costs that built up from the trading strategy. This type of trading is frequently referred to as churning.

FINRA and SEC Follow Massachusetts in GPB Capital Investigations

February 11, 2019 | Silver Law Group

After the state of Massachusetts began an investigation into 63 brokers selling private placements into GPB after the company stopped selling them, The SEC and FINRA have followed suit. Both agencies have launched their own investigations into the company and its practices.

The SEC Has Proposed New Regulations for Fiduciaries on silverlaw.com GPB announced in August that they would cease finding new investment money in order to focus on compliance and straightening out their accounting and financial statements for their two biggest funds. The SEC is, according to one executive, interested in seeing how accurate GPB’s disclosures are that were given to investors. The SEC also wants to review fund performances and distribution of the company’s capital to their investors, as well as broker-dealers who sold these private placements to investors.

Launched in 2013, GPB Capital became one of the fastest growing private placement firms selling shares of their funds through independent broker-dealers. Promoting themselves as offerors of alternative investment assets, New York-based GPB uses the business model of “acquiring income-producing private companies,” primarily auto dealerships. The company has raised $1.8 billion of investor funds.

Five Year Sentence For Former Morgan Stanley Broker James Polese

February 11, 2019 | Silver Law Group

In September, we told you about Morgan Stanley brokers James Polese and 29-year-old Cornelius Peterson, who were found guilty of financial charges ranging from conspiracy to aggravated identity theft. They have both been sentenced in the case.

How to Report Elder Financial Fraud on elderfinancialfraudattorneys.com James Polese has been sentenced to 60 months (five years) in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of investment adviser fraud and eight counts of bank fraud as well as a charge of aggravated identity theft. The government originally requested 75 months, and the federal guidelines indicate a minimum sentence of 87 months. Polese’s attorney argued for a shorter sentence of 40 months.

Polese was ordered to pay $462,000 in restitution plus a $30,000 fine. After his release from prison, he will be supervised for three years. He will be restricted from working in financial services, and prohibited from drinking alcohol beyond a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.10. The judge recognized Polese’s work towards rehabilitation, which included speaking with two ministers who offered letters of support.

SEC Halts Trading On Petrotech Oil & Gas, Inc.

February 5, 2019 | Silver Law Group

Petrotech Oil & Gas Inc. (PTOG) is a company based in Bedford, TX, and claims it is involved in petroleum recovery from oil wells that are considered “empty.” Using their own extraction technology with CO2 and N2 called “Gas-Injection EOR” (Enhanced Oil Recovery), Petrotech is able to recover 20% or more than previously thought possible.

The SEC Has Proposed New Regulations for Fiduciaries on silverlaw.com On February 19, 2014, the company announced that it would also be entering the legal cannabis market in Washington and Colorado, causing their stocks to surge. Petrotech’s deal created subsidiary Legalizepot.us Management Group, Inc. (the site is now a blank page.) LP.US Management was intended to manage the growing companies where cannabis became legal, starting with Washington and Colorado.

On March 14, 2014, the SEC suspended trading for the company “because of questions that have been raised about the accuracy and adequacy of publicly disseminated information concerning, among other things, the company’s operations.” Trading resumed on March 28, 2018. The company was in the process of completing a 2-year audit to comply with SEC reporting standards to achieve full reporting status.

Charges Filed Against John Maccoll For $4M Ponzi Scheme On Elderly Investors

February 1, 2019 | Silver Law Group

In August, we told you about John Cochran Maccoll (CRD #839441) who was barred by FINRA after multiple fraud allegations. Since then, there have been two additional developments.

Another customer has come forward and filed a complaint on 08/16/2018, alleging misappropriation of client funds from 10/01/2015 through 08/16/2018. The case was settled for $158,163.76. No additional information is available. This case is in addition to the previous cases we described in the earlier blog post.

The SEC Has Proposed New Regulations for Fiduciaries on silverlaw.com On 8/9/2018, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan filed criminal charges against Maccoll in an action initiated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC.) In it, the SEC detailed how Maccoll persuaded investors, mostly elderly, into investing in what he described as a “highly sought after private fund investment.” These investors, most of them retired, used their retirement accounts to fund their alleged investments. In return, Maccoll promised a 20% return on investment, as well as diversifying their portfolios and better growth potential than their current investment portfolios.

Transamerica’s $97M Refund

January 30, 2019 | Silver Law Group

The SEC has ordered four entities of Transamerica to refund $97 million to investors after discovering that faulty investment models used for fund management didn’t work as it was purported.

The SEC Has Proposed New Regulations for Fiduciaries on silverlaw.com Aegon USA Investment Management, operating through Transamerica Asset Management, Transamerica Capital, Inc. and Transamerica Financial Advisors, discovered the model’s inconsistencies, but didn’t notify anyone when they stopped using it. This kept investors from understanding the risks and kept them from making more informed decisions about their investments.

The quantitative investment models were developed by an inexperienced junior analyst who had no experience in portfolio management. Once the company discovered the errors, the models were quietly taken out of circulation. Investors put billions of dollars into mutual funds and other accounts that used these models, which were sold as “model driven” and “model supported.” However, there was no hard evidence that these models actually worked, and no disclosure of risk was ever offered.

Scott Silver Discusses $102 Million Ponzi Scheme (with video)

January 30, 2019 | Silver Law Group

Back in June, we told you about five former brokers charged by the SEC when the agency shut down their Ponzi scheme worth $102 million.

What-Keeps-a-Ponzi-Scheme-Running-300x200 Scott Silver recently spoke with Jennifer Cefalu of WHEC News in Rochester, NY, where two of the suspects lived and the scheme originated. The scheme was run by Perry Santillo, Jr. and Chris Parris, with Santillo headlining.

Santillo, Parris and three others recruited their investors by word of mouth, after buying client lists from brokers. Ultimately, 637 people were defrauded, many in the Rochester area. The entities they represented were not registered with any federal agency like the SEC or FINRA, nor were any of them registered brokers or investment advisors.

Craig Bonn Subject Of Excessive Trading Allegations

November 21, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Craig Aaron Bonn (CRD #2280460) is a currently registered FINRA broker employed with National Securities Corporation (CRD #7569) of New York, NY. He was previously registered with Laidlaw & Company (UK) LTD. (CRD #119037) and Sands Brothers & Co., LTD. (CRD #26816), both also of New York, NY. He has been in the industry since 1993.

FINRA Reports Brokers Nas Adel Allan and Gregory Anastos Made Unsuitable Recommendations on elderfinancialfraudattorneys.com Bonn is currently the subject of a customer dispute filed on 8/29/2018 that alleges unsuitability and excessive trading from 2008 through 2016. The client has requested damages of $228,128.47. Bonn denies the claims of wrongdoing made in this dispute.

Previously, Bonn was accused of making “unsuitable recommendations” for a client from 2006 through 2012 in a dispute filed on 1/17/2014. The client requested $800,000 in damages, and the firm settled for $325,000. Bonn was “dismissed and discharged” from this case, and the company settled without any input or contribution from him.