The OTC Markets created the OTCQB Venture Market early-stage and developing U.S. and international companies. To be eligible for quotation on the OTCQB Venture Market, companies must be current in their reporting obligations, have a minimum bid price… Read More
FINRA & Penny Stocks When the subject of penny stock enforcement actions arises, most people think first of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or erroneously, of OTC Markets Group (OTCM). The SEC has ultimate authority to deal with… Read More
Issuers utilizing Regulation A+ are permitted to test the waters with all potential investors and use solicitation materials both before and after the offering statement is filed, subject to issuer compliance with the rules on filing and disclaimers. … Read More
Regulation A+ expands existing Regulation A. Existing Regulation A provides an existing exemption from registration for smaller issuers of securities. Regulation A+ offerings can be used in combination with direct public offerings and initial public offerings as part of a Going Public Transaction allowing the issuer to avoid the risks… Read More
According to the The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), Woojae “Steve” Jung, an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, used confidential client information to trade in the securities of 12 different companies prior to the announcement of market-changing events…. Read More
On May 30, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged a former Long Island registered representative with defrauding long-standing brokerage customers in an $8 million investment scam. According to the SEC, Steven Pagartanis, who was an associate with… Read More
Going public using Form S-1 or Form 1-A allows issuers to chose from a variety of offering structures. Private companies seeking to raise capital often file a registration statement on SEC Form S-1 or Form 1-A of Regulation in connection with their… Read More
On May 16th, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged three former executives for Constellation Healthcare Technologies Inc. (Constellation), a Houston- based company, who falsified financial and other information they provided to a private firm while negotiating… Read More
On May 16, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Chardan Capital Markets LLC (Chardan Capital) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Financial Services LLC (ICBCFS), a New York City based brokerage firm, alleging the report… Read More
On April 4, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Gregory Bercowy with a fraudulent scheme to manipulate the stock price of Aureus, Inc., a penny stock company incorporated in Nevada. The SEC alleges that between August… Read More
It is routine for public companies and private companies seeking to go public to place restrictive legends (“Restrictive Legends” on the certificates representing their Restricted Stock not covered by a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the… Read More
On April 13, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Andrew Kandelapas with making false and misleading statements in the company’s SEC filings and press releases and with manipulating the company’s stock. The SEC’s complaint against Andrew Kandalepas,… Read More
On April 17, 2018, a federal district court sentenced the John Milne to two years imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release by failing to pay court-ordered disgorgement in a civil action brought by the Securities… Read More
On April 6, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Clifton Stanley in a $2.4 million Ponzi scheme and in a related, $1.4 million offering fraud targeting retirees. The SEC’s complaint alleges that, from 2010 to 2017, Clifton… Read More
On April 11, 2018, a federal district court has ordered Christopher Lee aka Rashid Khalfani, whom the Securities and Exchange Commission charged in 2015 with pocketing money raised from investors, to pay over $3.8 million in disgorgement and… Read More
On April 5, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Saverio Barbera with tipping his brother and father with material nonpublic information about an upcoming corporate acquisition. The SEC’s complaint, filed in the United States District Court for… Read More
On April 5, 2018, a federal district court in Richmond, Virginia has entered a final judgment against Merrill Robertson, Jr., a former football player charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with defrauding investors, including coaches he knew from his… Read More
On April 18, 2018 the Securities and Exchange Commission charged John Jumper with stealing approximately $5.7 million from a Pennsylvania company’s pension plan. According to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in Memphis, Tennessee, on three separate… Read More
On September 29, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Shane Fleming, a middleman tipper, and six traders with insider trading ahead of the announcement that the company would be purchased and taken private. In a complaint filed… Read More
On April 4, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Michael Scronic with fraud stemming from lies to retail investors about the value of their investments in a Ponzi-like scheme. The SEC alleges that, starting in approximately 2010,… Read More
On April 4, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Michael Liberty, the founder of the fintech startup now known as Mozido, Inc., with a fraudulent scheme to trick hundreds of investors into investing in his shell companies… Read More
On March 29, 2018, a federal district court in Connecticut granted the SEC’s motion for summary judgment as to the liability of Iftikar Ahmed alleged to have fraudulently diverted money from the venture capital funds he advised. The… Read More
On April 16, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Amrit Chahal with orchestrating an investment scheme over several years. The SEC’s complaint alleges that, from at least February 2015, Amrit Chahal, of Fairfax, Va., used his company,… Read More
On September 28, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged William Gennity and Rocco Roveccio with making unsuitable recommendations that resulted in substantial losses to customers and hefty commissions for the brokers. One of the brokers agreed to… Read More
On April 4, 2018, Christopher Lollar has agreed to settle SEC charges that he conducted insider trading ahead of a market-moving announcement about the company’s discovery of a significant new oil source. The SEC alleges in its complaint,… Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) says it doesn’t like over-the-counter shell companies especially when reverse mergers are involved, and would like to see them gone from the marketplace. To that end, its Enforcement Division cooked up an… Read More
The going public process involves a number of steps that vary depending on the characteristics of the private company wishing to go public, and whether it will become subject to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reporting … Read More
On April 10, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington entered a final judgment against Vincent Cassano for his role in a fraudulent stock promotion scheme. According to the SEC’s complaint, Lidingo Holdings, LLC hired… Read More
On March 27, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a settled administrative proceeding against broker-dealer J.H. Darbie & Co., Inc., and Robert Y. Rabinowitz, Darbie’s majority owner and CEO. On its surface, the suit… Read More
On February 27, 2018, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey entered an amended judgment against Verto Capital Management LLC and William Schantz, of Moorestown, New Jersey. Verto Capital Management LLC and William Schantz… Read More
