The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had announced it has charged two individuals and eight companies with fraud in relation to company securities and what was described as “charitable gift annuities.” The complaint was filed in the U.S. district court in Syracuse, New York. Allegations of Investment Fraud One of…
Articles Posted in SEC Actions
SEC Announces Fraud Charges against eCareer Holdings, Inc. and Brokers Dean Esposito of Boca Raton, FL, Joseph Devito of Brooklyn, NY and Frederick Birks of Orlando, FL
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) halted a microcap scheme in South Florida that included three boiler room stockbrokers trying to conceal the fact that they were barred from the securities industry. The stockbrokers’ investment scheme included the financial exploitation of the elderly, as well as the concealment of their…
SEC Charges Boiler Room with Being a Fraud Targeting Seniors
The Securities and Exchange Commission alleged New York-based Premier Links, Inc., its former president, and two cold callers formed a fraudulent boiler room scheme targeting retirees and elderly to invest in speculative or high risk companies with limited or no real chance of making a profit. The SEC alleges that…
SEC Charges Palm Beach CEO, Cecil Franklin Speight, in $3 Million Fraud Scheme
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has filed a civil lawsuit against a Palm Beach, Florida-based transfer agent and its owner for allegedly defrauding more than 70 investors out of more than $3 million by using “aggressive boiler room tactics” to sell worthless investment securities. According to the SEC’s lawsuit, which…
Federal Appeals Court Upholds SEC Ban on Broker-Dealer Principal for Failing to Prevent Churning and Excessive Trading
In July 2013, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a lifetime ban upon Carl Birkelbach, the founder and principal of Birkelbach Investment Securities (headquartered in Chicago, Illinois), which prevents him from participating in any working capacity in the securities industry. Mr. Birkelbach appealed the SEC’s ban, claiming in…
SEC Charges Investment Advisor with Improperly Raising Funds for Ponzi Scheme
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) continued its onslaught against Scott Rothstein associates earlier this month when it filed suit in federal court against Barry R. Bekkedam (“Bekkedam”), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of investment advisory firm Ballamor Capital Management (“Ballamor”). The SEC suit follows a growing number of…