Articles Posted in SEC Actions

On April 21, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a Complaint for Injunctive and Other Relief (Complaint) against Steven L. Brickner. According to the SEC, Brickner “falsely represented to prospective investors that he would use their money to purchase the assets of a Colorado-licensed marijuana dispensary network .…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is accusing Florida-based real estate firm EquiAlt LLC, and its owner and managing director, with running a Ponzi scheme that raised over $170 million from 1,100 investors and misappropriated millions of dollars to pay for personal luxury items including sports cars and private jet…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it obtained a temporary restraining order and filed an emergency enforcement action against Kenneth D. Courtright III and his company, Todays Growth Consultant Inc. The actions by the SEC are related to an alleged “Ponzi-like scheme” that raised more than $75 million…

Registered Investment Advisor McDermott Investment Advisors (MIA) and its founder Dean Patrick McDermott are the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allegedly “double dipping” on fees by investing clients in securities that paid fees to an affiliated broker-dealer, rather than a cheaper alternative.…

The SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) has filed a lawsuit against barred advisor Marcus Boggs, who formerly worked for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, for allegedly stealing over $1.7 million from his clients. According to the SEC’s civil complaint, Boggs is accused of transferring money from three of his…

On August 29, 2019, the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) announced an award of over $1.8 million for a whistleblower “whose information and assistance were critically important to the success of an enforcement action involving misconduct committed overseas.” According to a press release from the SEC, the whistleblower alerted the…

On February 26, 2019, the SEC announced charges and an asset freeze against the people behind a South Florida investment scheme. One of the people behind the scheme has a felony conviction, was in prison for 20 years, and is now out on parole. Castleberry Financial Services Group LLC, managed…

Registered investment advisor Direct Lending Investments, LLC (CRD# 282476) has been sued by the SEC with multiple fraud charges relating to $11 million in management and performance fee overcharges on private placements. The company also falsified loan repayment information and inflated their annual returns for many years. The suit was…

The SEC obtained a preliminary injunction against two individuals and their companies on October 26, 2018. The fraudulent actions of these individuals resulted in more than $165 million of illegal sales and stock in at least 50 microcap companies. According to the SEC, U.K. citizen Roger Knox and his Swiss-based…

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…