Man Arrested In Leonard McCoy Themed Medical Device Scheme

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On October 22, 2013, Howard Leventhal was arrested by the FBI for defrauding a Florida company of $800,000 and attempting to defraud an undercover law enforcement agent of more than $2.5 million. He will… Read More

SEC Issues Trading Suspenion of Crown Alliance

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On October 22, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) announced the temporary suspension, pursuant to Section 12(k) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), of trading in the securities of… Read More

SEC Issues Trading Suspension of ARX Gold

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On October 22, 2013, the SEC announced the temporary suspension, pursuant to Section 12(k) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), of trading in the securities of ARX Gold Corp. (“ARX… Read More

SEC Takes Action Against Potential Short Sellers For Manipulation

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On September 16, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) brought enforcement actions against more than 20 broker dealers and other financial firms alleging violations of Rule 105 of Regulation M of the… Read More

SEC Chairman Mary Jo White Addresses SEC Disclosure Requirements

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On October 15, 2013, Mary Jo White, new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), delivered a speech before the National Association of Corporate Directors.  She chose to discuss possible changes in SEC… Read More

SEC Charges China Based Chicken Provider

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On October 18, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) charged Yuhe International, Inc. (“Yuhe”), a China-based provider of broiler chickens, and its Chief Executive Officer, Gao Zhentao (“Gao”), with fraud and other… Read More

NASAA Releases 2013 Top Ten Financial Frauds List

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog The North American Securities Administrators Association (“NASAA”) recently released a list of the the 2013 Top Ten financial frauds that can affect unwitting investors and small business owners alike. According to the NASAA, fraudulent… Read More

SEC Shuts Down Pyramid Scheme Targeting Asian-American Community

On October 17, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced charges and asset freezes against the operators and promoters of a worldwide pyramid scheme that falsely promises exponential, risk-free returns to investors in a venture that… Read More

What Stock Can Be Registered On Form S-8?

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog Registration of securities on Form S-8 (“Form S-8”) is a  short-form registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).  Form S-8 is available to register securities offered to employees… Read More

Canadians Investigate Sandy Winick Associates

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) prosecution of Sandy Winick and eight co-conspirators for financial crimes, announced in August 2013, has sparked considerable interest among penny stock observers. According to regulators, for more than a… Read More

FINRA Addresses Financial Fraud

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog In September 2013, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), with the help of the National Center for Victims of Crime, compiled and circulated “An Advocate’s Guide to Assisting Victims of Financial Fraud.”  The lengthy… Read More

SEC Does Not Act on 20 Percent of Wells Notices Issued

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog When the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) substantially completes an investigation into violations of the securities laws, it may issue what’s known as a “Wells notice” to targets, informing them that it intends to… Read More

Panama Enacts New Bearer Shares Law

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On July 29, 2013, the Panamanian National Assembly enacted a law that “sets forth a custody regime applicable to bearer shares.”  It requires that any and all owners of bearer shares must appoint an… Read More

SEC Brings Enforcement Action in EB-5 Visa Program Investment Scam

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog Like many other countries, the United States offers potential immigrants preferential treatment—in the form of conditional visas and eventual green cards—if  they’re willing to invest in economic development projects that will preserve or create… Read More

Whistleblower Award $14 Million Bounty By SEC

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On October 1, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced it had awarded more than $14 million to a whistleblower whose information led to an SEC enforcement action that recovered substantial investor funds. … Read More

Wedding Singer Charged by the SEC with Fraud

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) brought a securities fraud enforcement action against an Oklahoma wedding singer and former investment adviser, Larry J. Dearman, Sr., and his special friend, Marya Gray in connection… Read More

Can I List On the OTC Pinks Using a Reverse Merger? Going Public Lawyers

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog One way for private companies to go public is through a Reverse Merger (“Reverse Merger”) with a public shell company.  Securities regulators tend to look askance at Reverse Mergers, fearing they may be used as vehicles… Read More

SEC Charges Three Penny Stock Auditors

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On September 30, 2013, the SEC charged three penny stock auditors, Malcolm L. Pollard,  Wilfred W. Hanson and John Kinross-Kennedy, for violating federal securities laws or failing to comply with U.S. auditing standards during… Read More

DTC Proposes Procedures For DTC Chills and Global Locks

The Depository Trust Company is a subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corpora­tion (“DTCC”), and is the central securities depository in the U.S. The SEC, the Federal Reserve System and the New York State Department of Financial… Read More

SEC Charges Tibor Klein and Michael Shechtman With Insider Trading

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog Continuing its crackdown on violators of insider trading laws, on September 20, 2013 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Tibor Klein, president of Klein Financial Services, with illegal insider trading in his own… Read More

SEC Charges ImageXpres and John and Kevin Zankowski With Securities Fraud

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On September 25, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged ImageXpres Corporation (ImageXpres), its CEO and president John Zankowski, and its CFO Kevin Zankowski with securities fraud. ImageXpres is a microcap technology company… Read More

SEC Charges South Florida Boiler Room Operators in NFL Scam

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On September 26, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged two Floridians, Peter Kirschner and Stuart Rubens, with defrauding investors—many of them seniors—in a boiler room scheme they operated between July 2011 and… Read More

SEC Suspends Trading in Left Behind Games and Charges Founder Troy Lyndon

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On September 25, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) brought three enforcement actions against penny stock company Left Behind Games (LFBG), its founder, Troy Lyndon, and a consultant, Ronald Zaucha. The three enforcement… Read More

California Attorney David Tamman Sentenced to Seven Years in Securities Fraud Case

Securities Lawyers Gone Wild Blog On 23 September 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced that attorney David Tamman, formerly of the Nixon Peabody law firm, had been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment… Read More

General Solicitation and Advertising Under Rule 506

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog As of September 23, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules implementing some provisions of the JOBS Act became effective.  Among them is the new Regulation D Rule 506(c). While the floodgates to raising capital… Read More

SEC Proposes Pay Ratio Disclosure Rule in Compliance with Dodd-Frank Act

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On September 18, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) voted to propose a new rule that would require public companies to state pay ratio disclosure of the compensation of its chief executive officer… Read More

SEC Charges Three in Assured Capital High Yield Investment Scam

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog On September 20, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Jennifer Hoffman and John Boschert, former principals of a dissolved Florida company called Assured Capital Consultants, LLC, and Bryan Zuzga, Assured’s purported escrow agent,… Read More

FBI Arrests Securities Attorney and Stock Promoter in Texas

Securities Lawyers Gone Wild Blog On September 19, 2013, the Dallas Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Jason Wynn, a former penny stock promoter, and securities attorney Martin Cantu… Read More

Rule 506 Offerings Q & A l Securities Lawyer 101

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog Private placement offerings under Rule 506 of Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) are a cost effective and relatively quick way for private companies to raise capital before,… Read More

Ohio Shuts Down Crowdfunding Website SoMoLend

Securities Lawyer 101 Blog Since the JOBS Act became law, numerous crowdfunding websites have popped up on the internet.  This month, the first enforcement action was brought against a crowdfunding web-site.   The Ohio Division of Securities issued a notice… Read More