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Father and son convicted of COVID-19 PPP fraud

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Administrator
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"Justice Gavel" by toridawnrector is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

A federal jury in the Western District of North Carolina convicted two men this week for the submission of fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.7 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

According to evidence presented during a six-day trial, Izzat Freitekh, 55, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, and his son Tarik Freitekh, aka Tareq Freitekh, 33, whose last known residence was in Glendale, California, obtained $1.7 million by submitting multiple fraudulent PPP loan applications for companies owned by Izzat Freitekh: La Shish Kabob, La Shish Kabob Catering, Green Apple Catering, and Aroma Packaging. The loan applications misrepresented the number of employees and payroll expenses. After obtaining the fraudulent loan proceeds, the defendants engaged in unlawful monetary transactions with the proceeds of the scheme, including making $30,000 payments to family members.

Izzat Freitekh was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, three counts of money laundering, and one count of making false statements. He faces up to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, 10 years in prison for each of the money laundering counts, and five years in prison for the false statements count.

Tarik Freitekh was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of money laundering, and one count of falsifying and concealing material facts. He faces up to 30 years in prison for the bank fraud count, 20 years in prison for the wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, 10 years in prison for the money laundering count, and five years in prison for the falsifying material facts count.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina; Inspector in Charge Tommy Coke of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Atlanta Division; Special Agent in Charge Donald E. Eakins of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Mark Morini of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Southeast Field Division, made the announcement.

The US Postal Inspection Service, IRS-CI, and TIGTA investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Joshua N. DeBold and Matt Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Odulio of the Western District of North Carolina prosecuted the case.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Press release distributed by the DOJ.

Featured image: “Justice Gavel” by toridawnrector is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

SEC Issues Awards Totaling Approximately $3 Million to Three Whistleblowers

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Administrator
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Washington D.C. – The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced three awards totaling approximately $3 million to whistleblowers who provided information and assistance in three separate covered actions.

In the first order, the SEC issued an award of approximately $1.5 million to a whistleblower who provided new information that caused the SEC staff to commence an examination and later open a new investigation into potential securities laws violations. The whistleblower also assisted the staff during the course of the investigation.

In the second order, the SEC awarded a whistleblower more than $1 million for providing information that prompted the opening of an investigation. The whistleblower, an insider who also reported concerns internally, provided continuing assistance to the staff, including multiple interviews.

In the third order, the SEC awarded more than $400,000 to a whistleblower whose comprehensive tip led to an investigation, and thereafter provided substantial ongoing cooperation. The whistleblower also raised concerns internally, causing the conduct to cease.

“Whistleblowers are instrumental to the agency’s ability to detect wrongdoing,” said Creola Kelly, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower. “Each of today’s whistleblowers alerted SEC staff to the securities laws violations and then provided essential assistance that aided the investigation.”

The SEC has awarded approximately $1.2 billion to 254 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. All payments are made out of an investor protection fund established by Congress that is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. No money has been taken or withheld from harmed investors to pay whistleblower awards.  Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action.  Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million.

As set forth in the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and does not disclose any information that could reveal a whistleblower’s identity.

For more information about the whistleblower program and how to report a tip, visit www.sec.gov/whistleblower.

Press release distributed by the SEC.

New York man defrauds thousands of consumers in direct-mail cash prize scheme

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Administrator
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"Money Roll - $100 Dollar Bills" by 401(K) 2013 is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

Three Defendants Have Pleaded Guilty to Fraud Conspiracy

A New York resident has pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to participating in a fraudulent multimillion-dollar mass-mailing scheme that tricked consumers into paying fees for falsely promised cash prizes.

According to court documents, from August 2014 through August 2019, Scott Gammon, 47, of Broad Channel, New York, engaged in a direct-mail scheme that sent fraudulent prize notification mailings to thousands of consumers. The mailings induced consumers to pay a fee, purportedly in return for a large cash prize. None of the consumers who sent a fee ever received such a prize. Gammon is the third defendant to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with this scheme.

“Fraudulent prize notices often cause victims, including the elderly, to send money based on false promises of large cash prizes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This guilty plea is the latest example of the Department of Justice continuing to pursue and prosecute the perpetrators of these schemes.”

“The defendant admitted he deceived elderly and vulnerable victims into believing they had won cash prizes by inducing them to pay bogus ‘fees’ to him and his co-conspirators,” stated U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “This office will continue to protect our seniors and other consumers from harm caused by predatory solicitation schemes.”

“Postal Inspectors remind consumers, if you have to pay to win a prize, you’ll lose your money,” said Inspector in Charge Daniel B. Brubaker of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “These are all scams designed to lure consumers into sending their hard-earned money — not for a prize, but to fatten the pockets of a fraudster. Mr. Gammon may have thought he got away with this scheme, but he was sadly mistaken when he was confronted by the full investigative power of law enforcement.”

Two other defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for participating in the scheme. Christopher King, 36, of Oceanside, New York, pleaded guilty on Sept. 15, 2021. Natasha Khan, 38, of Elmont, New York, pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2021.

Gammon’s plea took place before Magistrate Judge Steven I. Locke. Gammon is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. Each of the three defendants faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Daniel Zytnick and Timothy Finley of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles P. Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.

Press release distributed by the DOJ.

Featured image: “Money Roll – $100 Dollar Bills” by 401(K) 2013 is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

Adam Rogas raised $123M from investors using phony financial statements

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Administrator
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"Numbers And Finance" by kenteegardin is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

Adam Rogas Raised $123 Million From Investors Using Financial Statements That Showed Tens of Millions of Dollars of Revenue and Assets that Did Not Exist

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ADAM ROGAS, the co-founder and former CEO, CFO, and member of the board of directors of Las Vegas-based cyberfraud prevention company NS8, Inc. (“NS8”), pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court to securities fraud. ROGAS used fraudulent financial data to obtain over $123 million in financing for NS8, of which he personally obtained approximately $17.5 million. ROGAS pled guilty today before U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan, and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Cronan on August 10, 2022.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “Today, Adam Rogas admitted to being the proverbial fox guarding the henhouse.  While claiming to be in the fraud prevention business, Rogas himself defrauded investors in his company of over $100 million.  Now Rogas will be held accountable for his fraudulent scheme.”

According to the Complaint, Indictment, and other publicly-filed documents:

ADAM ROGAS was a co-founder of NS8, and served as its CEO, CFO, and a member of its board of directors.  ROGAS was also primarily responsible for the company’s fundraising activities.  NS8, which was based in Las Vegas, Nevada, was a cyberfraud prevention company that developed and sold electronic tools to help online vendors assess the fraud risks of customer transactions.  In the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2020, NS8 engaged in fundraising rounds through which it issued Series A Preferred Shares and obtained approximately $123 million in investor funds.

ROGAS maintained control over a bank account into which NS8 received revenue from its customers, and periodically provided monthly statements from that account to NS8’s finance department so that NS8’s financial statements could be created.  ROGAS also maintained control over spreadsheets that purportedly tracked customer revenue, which were also used to generate NS8’s financial statements.

ROGAS altered the bank statements before providing them to NS8’s finance department to show tens of millions of dollars in both customer revenue and bank balances that did not exist.  In the period from January 2019 through February 2020, between at least approximately 40% and 95% of the purported total assets on NS8’s balance sheet were fictitious.  In that same period, the bank statements that ROGAS altered reflected over $40 million in fictitious revenue.

statement

Altered (L) and original (R) bank statements for NS8’s revenue account.  Rogas altered statements for the account to show tens of millions of dollars in revenue (deposits) that did not exist.

ROGAS used these materially misleading financial statements to raise approximately $123 million from investors in the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2020.  During the fundraising process, ROGAS also provided the falsified bank records he had created to auditors who were conducting due diligence on behalf of potential investors.  After these fundraising rounds concluded, NS8 conducted a tender offer with the funds raised from investors, and ROGAS received $17.5 million in proceeds from that tender offer, personally and through a company he controlled.

***

ROGAS, 44, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pled guilty to one count of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI in this investigation.  Mr. Williams further thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission for its cooperation and assistance in this investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Cooper and Jared Lenow are in charge of the prosecution.

Press release distributed by the DOJ.

Featured image: “Numbers And Finance” by kenteegardin is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

The US announces increased international cooperation to target Russian assets

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Administrator
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"city" by barnyz is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Australia, Canada, the European Commission, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, the UK, and U.S., Agree to Increased Cooperation to Target Russian Assets

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen today met virtually with representatives from Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission, to launch the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) multilateral task force. The task force was first announced by leaders on Feb. 26.

The task force, consisting of Finance Ministry and Justice or Home Ministry in each member jurisdiction, each committed to using their respective authorities in concert with other appropriate ministries to collect and share information to take concrete actions, including sanctions, asset freezing, civil and criminal asset seizure, and criminal prosecution.

Cooperation between the U.S. government and foreign partners has already yielded notable successes. In the last three weeks alone, information provided by U.S. law enforcement to foreign partners has contributed to the restraint of multiple vessels controlled by sanctioned individuals and entities. Collectively, these vessels are estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We are already working with our international partners to freeze and seize properties belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs worldwide,” said Attorney General Garland. “We will continue to work together to take all appropriate actions against those whose criminal acts enable the Russian government to continue its unjust war against Ukraine.”

“Our sanctions, trade restrictions, and other measures have already imposed significant costs on Russia, its leadership, and those who enabled Putin’s unprovoked invasion into Ukraine,” said Secretary Yellen. “This multilateral task force will raise those costs even more, by galvanizing coordinated efforts to freeze and seize assets of these individuals in jurisdictions around the world and deny safe haven for their ill-gotten gains.”

The REPO task force members discussed ways to ensure the effective, coordinated implementation of the group’s collective financial sanctions relating to Russia, as well as assistance to other nations to locate and freeze assets located within their jurisdictions. Participants also discussed the need to preserve evidence and determine whether these frozen assets, or other assets linked to these sanctioned individuals or entities, are subject to forfeiture. Finally, the task force discussed ways to bring to justice enablers and gatekeepers who have facilitated the movement of sanctioned assets or other illicit funds.

The Department of Justice’s newly launched Task Force KleptoCapture, which the Attorney General established on March 2, will help support this international effort. Task Force KleptoCapture is designed to help deploy U.S. prosecutorial and law enforcement resources to identify sanctions evasion and related criminal conduct.

In addition to the launch of the REPO task force, Treasury took steps to boost cooperation and intelligence sharing. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today will join in a statement with counterparts in task force member countries and others to increase information sharing. FinCEN will also release an alert for financial institutions about the importance of identifying and reporting suspicious transactions by sanctioned Russian elites, oligarchs, and their proxies that involve real estate, luxury goods, and high-value assets. FinCEN continues robust engagement with financial institutions through its public-private partnership authorities to enhance collaboration and information sharing and analysis.

Treasury will also launch the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program today, which offers rewards payments for information leading to seizure, restraint, or forfeiture of assets linked to foreign government corruption, including the Government of the Russian Federation. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence administers the Program in coordination with the Departments of Justice and State and U.S. federal law enforcement agencies. More information on eligibility for rewards payments and on submission of relevant information to the U.S. government can be found here. Those individuals with information are encouraged to contact Kleptocracy_Rewards@Treasury.gov or call +1 202-622-2050.

In connection with the meeting, Treasury is providing attendees with a list of 50 individuals who are priorities for the United States. Treasury has publicly released 28 names of individuals from the list who have been sanctioned by multiple jurisdictions, including the United States. The names are available here.

Press release distributed by the DOJ.

Featured image: “city” by barnyz is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Idaho Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Tribal Fraud Scheme

By
Aitana Vargas
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PORTLAND, Ore. — A resident of the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho and former CEO of the Warm Springs Economic Development Corporation (WSEDC) has pleaded guilty for his role in a fraud scheme targeting the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

Roderick Ariwite, 66, pleaded guilty to theft of funds from a tribal organization and interstate transportation of a security taken by fraud, resolving two separate criminal cases against him.

According to court documents, WSEDC, also known as Warm Springs Ventures (WSV), is a Tribal organization owned and operated by the Warm Springs Tribes. WSV operates as the management organization for several Tribal business entities, including the Warm Springs Construction Enterprise (WSCE).

Ariwite and an accomplice, Thomas Valentino Adams, 49, a Nevada resident and the former manager of WSCE, created a construction company called Warbonnet Construction Services LLC. While drawing tribal salaries and travel reimbursements, Ariwite and Adams engaged in work projects for Warbonnet. In 2018, Ariwite and Adams used tribal funds to hire a subcontractor for a Warbonnet project and submitted vouchers for expenses they incurred on behalf of themselves and Warbonnet, which were reimbursed with tribal funds. In total, Ariwite and Adams’ scheme cost the Warm Springs Tribes more than $50,000.

On September 24, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment charging Ariwite and Adams with conspiracy and theft of funds from a Tribal organization. In a separate indictment, Ariwite was charged with one count of interstate transportation of a security taken by fraud.

Ariwite faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $500,000 fine and three years’ supervised release. He will be sentenced on June 6, 2022 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Mosman.

As part of his plea agreement, Ariwite has agreed to pay $39,613 in restitution to the Warm Springs Tribes and $3,000 to an unnamed adult victim.

On August 23, 2021, Adams pleaded guilty to theft of funds from a Tribal organization. He will be sentenced on March 29, 2022 before Judge Mosman.

U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Warm Springs Police Department. It was prosecuted by Meredith Bateman and Seth Uram, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

Press release distributed by the DOJ.

Featured image: “under construction” by Pedro Moura Pinheiro is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Register for the SEC’s 41st Annual Small Business Forum to Impact Capital Raising Policy

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Administrator
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Washington D.C. — The Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation will host the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 41st Annual Government-Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation over four virtual sessions April 4-7 from 1:00-2-30pm ET. Each day will focus on a different topic and feature speakers with in-depth knowledge of the issues facing small businesses across the country, followed by an opportunity for participants to develop policy recommendations. Sessions will focus on the following topics:

  • Mon., April 4 – Empowering Entrepreneurs: Tools to Navigate Capital Raising
  • Tue., April 5 –  Hometown Entrepreneurship: How Entrepreneurs Can Thrive Outside of Traditional Capital Raising Hubs
  • Wed., April 6 – New Investor Voices: How Emerging Fund Managers Are Diversifying Capital
  • Thur., April 7 – Small Cap World: What to Know and How to Think Ahead

The Forum website will continue to be updated with details on the agenda, speakers, registration, and FAQs in the coming weeks leading up to the event.

“Each year we look forward to hosting the Small Business Forum and engaging with entrepreneurs, investors, and other thought leaders who are passionate about capital raising,” said Office Director Martha Legg Miller. “By providing a platform for Forum participants to develop capital raising policy recommendations, the SEC is able to keep a pulse on the real-world impact of our rules on communities across the country.”

Registration: Click here to register and receive a link to participate.

Policy Recommendations: The Forum provides an opportunity for the public to provide feedback and develop policy recommendations on capital raising. Like last year, participants are asked to submit policy ideas in advance to smallbusiness@sec.gov. At the end of each day’s session, attendees will have the opportunity to prioritize policy recommendations for that day’s topic. After the event, a report with the recommendations will be delivered to Congress.

About the Forum: The Forum is a unique event where members of the public and private sectors gather to provide feedback to improve capital raising policy for startups to smaller public companies and their investors. The Forum will feature appearances by each of the Commissioners, leaders from across the SEC, and an exciting line-up of speakers with fresh perspectives on capital raising. The 2021 Forum Report summarizing the proceedings and recommendations of participants was released on September 27, 2021.

Press release distributed by the SEC.

Featured image: “Wall Street” by Sjoerd van Oosten is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Call Center Operators charged with fraud in $58 million penny stock scheme

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Administrator
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Featured image: “Invest card” by ota_photos is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

Washington D.C. – The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against five individuals for allegedly operating a call center in Medellin, Colombia, which used high pressure sales tactics and made false and misleading statements to retail investors to convince them to buy the stocks of small companies trading in the U.S. markets.

According to the SEC’s complaint, filed on March 14, 2022, U.S. citizen Chester Alvarez, Canadian citizens Francis Biller, Raymond Dove, and Troy Gran-Brooks, and Dutch citizen Justin Plaizier operated call centers, set up as phony investment management firms, with fake names, websites, and phone numbers. The SEC’s complaint alleges that, using the false personas, the defendants orchestrated a pump-and-dump scheme and made false and misleading statements when they promoted the stock of at least 18 issuers, and that they generated more than $58 million in trading from this scheme. The complaint also alleges that the defendants were paid approximately $10 million for promoting thinly traded stocks, which they misled investors to believe had high prospects for success.

“These scam artists went to great lengths – using bogus companies, aliases, and spoofing their phone numbers – to defraud and mislead investors into a pump-and-dump scheme,” said Paul Levenson, Director of the SEC’s Boston Regional Office. “We urge investors to read the investor education materials about fraud in the ‘penny stock’ market, which are available at Investor.gov.”

The SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charges all defendants with violations of antifraud provisions of the securities laws and charges Alvarez with violating market manipulation provisions of the securities laws. It also seeks injunctive relief, disgorgement plus prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and a prohibition on participating in any offerings of penny stocks by all defendants.

The SEC’s continuing case is being handled by Trevor Donelan, Kathleen Shields, Jonathan Allen, and Amy Gwiazda of the SEC’s Boston Regional Office with the assistance of Marlee Miller and Owen Granke of the Office of International Affairs and Alex Lefferts in the Office of Investigative and Market Analytics. The SEC appreciates the assistance in this matter of Rebecca Israel of the SEC’s Office of Market Intelligence, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Argentinian Comisión Nacional de Valores, the British Columbia Securities Commission, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, the Malta Financial Services Authority, the Mauritius Financial Services Commission, the Mexican Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores, the Panamanian Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Dubai Financial Services Authority, the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia, the Colombian Office the Attorney General, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, and the Switzerland Federal Office of Justice.

Press release distributed by the SEC.

Featured image: “Invest card” by ota_photos is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

La reportera Aitana Vargas pide 23.000 dólares en honorarios tras pulverizar la querella mordaza de Hadari Oshri

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Editor
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AN IMPORTANT NOTE: On June 22, 2021, Hadari Oshri –Marc Lubaszka’s business partner– filed a civil harassment restraining order (CHRO) against Investor News reporter Aitana Vargas to stop the publication of her investigative series “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar crime,” and any subsequent installments or future media coverage. On August 3, 2021, Vargas filed an anti-SLAPP motion to strike Oshri’s CHRO petition. In a hearing held on September 13, 2021, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Doreen Boxer granted Vargas’s anti-SLAPP motion and denied Oshri’s civil harassment petitionfor failure to sustain the applicable burden of proof. Oshri will now have to pay Vargas’s attorney’s fees for filing a frivolous case. The Israeli entrepreneur also declined to go on a recorded interview or provide statements via email.

Oshri deberá pagar las costas procesales de la corresponsal española por tratar de silenciar su serie de investigación

California (USA) – Emprender acciones legales sin fundamento jurídico puede resultar costoso, sobre todo cuando el querellante tiene como objetivo censurar la libertad de expresión en temas de interés público y éste no presenta pruebas admisibles. Es decir, cuando se pierde una querella mordaza (anti-SLAPP en inglés).
Y ahora Hadari Oshri está a punto de saber por qué.
Según documentos presentados ante el Tribunal Superior de Los Ángeles, la corresponsal Aitana Vargas ha solicitado 23.000 dólares en honorarios legales después de una audiencia celebrada el 13 de septiembre de 2021, en la que la jueza Doreen Boxer falló a favor de la periodista y reconoció que las medidas cautelares solicitadas por Oshri suponían un intento por censurar la libertad de expresión garantizada por la Primera Enmienda de la Constitución estadounidense.
Hadari Oshri’s meritless civil harassment restraining order petition against award-winning news correspondent Aitana Vargas could cost Oshri thousands of dollars.

Hadari Oshri firma una declaración plagada de acusaciones incomprensibles, indemostrables y bochornosas

Durante la vista, la jueza recalcó que la declaración jurada que Oshri presentó el 22 de junio de 2021 contra la periodista “no era clara”. De hecho, la magistrada le recriminó a los abogados de la empresaria que ni siquiera habían “incluído pruebas” y que, de haberlo hecho, éstas “carecían de fundamento” y eran inadmisibles.
En su denuncia escrita, Oshri se cubrió de gloria y le dedicó todo tipo de perlas a la galardonada periodista, incluyendo calificativos como “Mis Vergas” y “Señorita Vergas”. También la acusó de ser una “mujer muy peligrosa”, “desesperada” y una “reportera corrupta” sin ninguna prueba, e incluso identificó a Vargas como un miembro de la inexistente raza “española”. Pero las acusaciones de Oshri también incluyeron otras declaraciones incomprensibles y memorables como:
“(Vargas) está cavando en lugares que no están aquí ¡¡ no es AUTÉNTICA, NO ES EL FBI NI LA CIA, que puede perseguirme así por todas mis cuentas en las redes sociales, perseguir mis artículos en las redes sociales, y contactar con todos los implicados ¡¡¡”
“Mis Vergas es tan peligrosa, que está hablando de la situación públicamente en aquí su FB, diciendo que ella es un SLAPP y que la ley la protege, Mis Vargas no es el FBI y no es la CIA, sus historias sobre mí son mentira, y no tiene motivo para contactar con nadie en mi red”.
“Aitaina Vergas es una periodista corrupta, no es auténtica, HAY QUE PARARLA YA!!!”
“Un vistazo rápido a su post reciente en su página de Facebook es una evasión para aquí proceso de pensamiento y aquí urgencia”.
“Mi abogado le envió una sesión de espiritismo y desistir, y ella siguió”.
“¡Deja de escribir sobre mí y contactar con mi red! ¡Suspensión de su licencia de periodista para que no pueda hacerle esto a nadie más!”

Oshri interrumpió la vista varias veces

Además de las acusaciones infundadas de Oshri, ésta interrumpió la audiencia en varias ocasiones levantando la mano, acercándose a su abogada y susurrándole indicaciones al oído hasta que su comportamiento acabó colmando la paciencia de la magistrada, la cual le ofreció un receso a la empresaria para que pudiera compartir cualquier información oportuna con su equipo de abogados penalistas, Veronica Barton y Paul Adkins (los cuales armaron una trama que parecía el guion de una película de bajo presupuesto de Hallmark).
Al reanudar la audiencia media hora después, el caso estaba visto para sentencia. Y aunque la jueza le permitiera a ambas partes resumir y matizar sus respectivas posturas, sin titubear, ésta se dirigió al abogado de la reportera ante una sala repleta de asistentes y dijo: “Moción concedida”.
La periodista fue la primera en abandonar la sala. Sus declaraciones fueron rotundas: “Corramos un tupido velo sobre este lamentable episodio y centrémenos de nuevo en dar visibilidad a las víctimas de posibles entramados fraudulentos, que es el motivo real por el que hoy estamos aquí”.

Hadari Oshri pidió medidas cautelares contra la periodista porque ésta se negó a retirar su serie de investigación

Court documents show that Hadari Oshri instructed her attorney, John Tamborelli, to silence news reporter Aitana Vargas.
Documentos judiciales –entre otros– demuestran que, desde febrero de 2021, la periodista ha estado sometida a constantes presiones legales dirigidas a impedir la publicación de su serie de investigación, cuya primera entrega se difundió el 30 de mayo de 2021.
Vargas estaba a punto de publicar la segunda parte de su serie de investigación –en la que lleva meses trabajando y que implica a Oshri en un entramado dedicado a la venta de equipamiento de protección médico (PPE en inglés) junto a Marc Lubaszka– cuando Oshri emprendió acciones legales contra la periodista a finales de junio de 2021.
Antes de que Oshri solicitara medidas cautelares ante un juzgado de Los Ángeles, Vargas ya había reiterado en las redes sociales que no renunciaría a su investigación como resultado de la presión que Oshri y su anterior abogado, John Tamborelli, estaban ejerciendo sobre ella.
La periodista se negó a acatar las exigencias legales de Tamborelli, las cuales éste también incorporó en un acuerdo extrajudicial que mencionaba a Vargas y del que ésta ni formaba parte ni había firmado. En dicho acuerdo, el abogado de Oshri exigía a una de las fuentes de la periodista que ésta retirara cualquier artículo que mencionara al letrado (Tamborelli), a Oshri o a Lubaszka.
Hadari Oshri’s former attorney, John Tamborelli, tried to silence reporter Aitana Vargas’s media coverage and online complaints about the legal pressure she was enduring.
A finales de junio de 2021, el Sindicato Nacional de Escritores (NWU en inglés) le envió una carta a Tamborelli exigiéndole que cesara todo intento de intimidación hacia la corresponsal.
“El NWU se toma cualquier intento por silenciar o amenazar a un periodista, especialmente a una mujer, de forma muy seria”, decía la carta. “También nos gustaría recalcar que, aunque cualquier fuente confidencial pueda retractarse en cualquier momento, incluso bajo coacción, ésta no tiene el derecho legal a exigir la retirada de un artículo. Le pedimos que cese cualquier acto de intimidación hacia nuestro miembro”.

Hadari Oshri cuenta con varias querellas legales

La empresaria israelí se ha enfrentado a varios procesos legales en el pasado, y algunos exsocios o antiguos trabajadores que han obtenido sentencias contra ella aún están tratando de recaudar sus respectivas indemnizaciones.
En 2020, Oshri y Tamborelli se enfrentaron a una querella vinculada a un accidente de tráfico ocurrido en Los Ángeles. En la audiencia contra Vargas, los abogados de Oshri negaron la existencia de dicha querella a pesar de estar judicialmente documentada.

En la actualidad, Oshri es la directora ejecutiva de Trade Safe Pro y de A1A Management. Al frente de esta última compañía también está el exmodelo Patrick Seller. Hasta 2019, Oshri fue la directora ejecutiva de Xehar, Inc., una compañía de modelos de talla grande (o “hadas de la moda”) que naufragó y se fue a pique en 2018.
Screenshot of a promotional video of Xehar University, one of Hadari Oshri’s many defunct business projects.
Al inicio de la pandemia, Oshri se asoció con Marc Lubaszka, un empresario que está acusado de estafar dos millones de dólares a decenas de personas que invirtieron en sus planes de pensión y que ha sido investigado por el FBI. Lubaszka es el presidente de la compañía de jets privados Fly Private X, cuya página web se encuentra “en construcción” desde que Vargas publicó la primera entrega de su serie de investigación. En los últimos meses, Lubaszka ha reanudado la venta de oro a través de Buy Gold Brightly.
La corresponsal española está representada por Michael Creamer, con oficinas en el condado de Orange.
Desde julio de 2021, Oshri está representada por Veronica Barton y Paul Adkins, con oficinas en los condados de Los Ángeles y Orange.
**Esta historia se va actualizando conforme se recibe información adicional. Last update: March 20, 2022.
***Investor News provides on demand Spanish-language content to readers. Please contact the newsroom if you’d like to read specific stories in Spanish, and we’ll do our best to accomodate your needs promptly. 
Have you been SLAPPED? Contact the newsroom at info@investornews.io and share your story with us.
RELATED COVERAGE
Read The Legal Bullies Club – The SLAPPers: Featuring Hadari Oshri.
Read Hadari Oshri loses anti-SLAPP court battle against journalist Aitana Vargas.
Read Hadari Oshri deactivates LinkedIn account following PPE exposé.
Read “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar Crime (Part I): Marc Lubaszka, the ultimate white-collar conman on the run: From a Hollywood Hills mansion to Venezuela’s illegal gold mines and back.” 
Read “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar Crime (Part II): Marc Lubaszka’s nonexistent private jets failed to deliver PPE amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Read “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar Crime (Part III): Pursuing flash money, rapper Dylan Raw partners with conman Marc Lubaszka and becomes his patsy.”
Read “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar Crime (Part IV): Hadari Oshri allegedly linked to attempted $370M nonexistent PPE COVID-19 scheme.”

SEC awards $14M to whistleblower who published fraud report online

By
Administrator
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"Cash" by 401(K) 2013 is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today an award of about $14 million to a whistleblower who published an online report exposing an ongoing fraud. The whistleblower, who days later shared the same information with the SEC and was persistent in reaching out to the staff, prompted the opening of an investigation which resulted in a successful enforcement action and the return of millions of dollars to harmed investors.

“Whistleblowers can play a critical role in an investigation,” said Creola Kelly, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower. “Here, the whistleblower posted a research report online outlining the allegations against the company and its officer and also, importantly, took expeditious steps to provide this information to the Commission. This case demonstrates the importance of whistleblowers reporting directly to the SEC so that the agency can promptly investigate allegations of wrongdoing.”

The SEC has awarded approximately $1.2 billion to 249 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. All payments are made out of an investor protection fund established by Congress that is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators.  No money has been taken or withheld from harmed investors to pay whistleblower awards. Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million.

As set forth in the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and does not disclose information that could reveal a whistleblower’s identity.

For more information about the whistleblower program and how to report a tip, visit www.sec.gov/whistleblower.

Press release distributed by the SEC.

Featured image: “Cash” by 401(K) 2013 is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

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