Two Men Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme
Two Florida men were sentenced Friday for leading a nationwide scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for millions of dollars in loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio sentenced Phillip J. Augustin, 53, of Coral Springs, to...
Founders of cryptomining scheme accused of using investments to fund lavish lifestyle
SEC Halts Fraudulent Cryptomining and Trading Scheme
Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission this week announced fraud charges against MCC International Corp. (MCC), which does business as Mining Capital Coin Corp., its founders Luiz Carlos Capuci, Jr. (aka Junior Caputti or Capuci) and Emerson Souza Pires (Pires), and two other entities controlled by Capuci, CPTLCoin Corp. (CPTLCoin) and...
SEC Charges Archegos and its Founder with Massive Market Manipulation Scheme
Multiple Archegos Executives Charged with Misleading Counterparties
Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Sung Kook (Bill) Hwang, the owner of family office Archegos Capital Management, LP (Archegos), with orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that resulted in billions of dollars in losses. The SEC also charged Archegos’s Chief Financial Officer, Patrick Halligan; head trader, William Tomita; and Chief...
SEC Nearly Doubles Size of Enforcement’s Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit
Washington D.C., May 3, 2022 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the allocation of 20 additional positions to the unit responsible for protecting investors in crypto markets and from cyber-related threats. The newly renamed Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit (formerly known as the Cyber Unit) in the Division of Enforcement will grow to 50 dedicated positions.
"The U.S....
President of Synergy Settlement Services accused of misusing beneficiaries’ funds on golf tournaments and beach parties
Defendants allegedly used funds from deceased beneficiaries’ accounts on golf tournaments and beach parties
Washington D.C., May 2, 2022 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against Synergy Settlement Services, Inc., CEO Jason D. Lazarus, Esq., both based in Orlando, FL, and President Anthony F. Prieto, Jr. of Tampa, FL, for allegedly defrauding individuals with disabilities into...
Brazilian Mining Company Charged with Misleading Investors about Safety Prior to Deadly Dam Collapse
Since 2016, Vale manipulated safety audits and obtained fraudulent stability certificates
Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Vale S.A., a publicly traded Brazilian mining company and one of the world’s largest iron ore producers, with making false and misleading claims about the safety of its dams prior to the January 2019 collapse of its Brumadinho dam....
SEC Announces Older Investor Roundtable Virtual Event on April 28
Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a virtual event on April 28 along with the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and the AARP to examine the latest challenges and issues affecting the senior investor community.
The Older Investor Roundtable will include panel discussions geared toward older investors, consumer advocates, and financial professionals nationwide as topics...
Check out SEC’s updated list of firms using inaccurate information to solicit investors
Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it updated its list of unregistered entities that use misleading information to solicit primarily non-U.S. investors, adding 58 soliciting entities, 11 impersonators of genuine firms, and one bogus regulator.
The SEC’s list of soliciting entities that have been the subject of investor complaints, known as the Public Alert: Unregistered...
16 defendants charged in international $194M “pump and dump” plots
SEC Uncovers $194 Million Penny Stock Schemes that Spanned Three Continents
This week the Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against 16 defendants, located in the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Monaco, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, for participating in multi-year fraudulent penny stock schemes that generated more than $194 million in illicit proceeds....
Former CFO of Publicly Traded Brazilian Company Charged in Fraud Scheme
A superseding indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Iowa charging the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of publicly traded reinsurance company, IRB Brasil Resseguros SA, aka IRB Brasil RE (IRB), for fraudulently propping up its stock price by spreading false information that U.S. investment firm Berkshire Hathaway Inc. had invested in IRB.
According to court documents, Fernando...