3 PONZI/FRAUD CAPSULES: (1) Washington State Woman Jailed In Alleged $126 Million Ponzi Scheme; (2) Charity, Church, Investors In Metro Washington, D.C., Allegedly Scammed In $27M Ponzi; (3) South Florida Man Sentenced To More Than 12 Years In $29.5M ‘Gold’ Scam
EDITOR’S NOTE: This information is presented in the form of briefs, with links to external sources. 1.) Doris E. Nelson, arrested/jailed in Spokane, Wash., region, last week after federal raid in April 2010. SEC filed civil charges in September 2011. The allegations against Nelson and multiple companies in Nevada, Utah and Canada are alarming, but […]
Man, 85, Accused Of Selling Unregistered Securities In ‘Shipwreck’ Venture; Recidivist Huckster Hawked Sunken-Treasure Offer While Banned Because Of Previous Misconduct, BCSC Says
Ten years ago, when John Arthur Roche McLoughlin was about 75 years old, the British Columbia Securities Commission accused him of selling unregistered securities in a venture known as Grandby Development Corp., a purported fertilizer company. BCSC imposed a five-year ban that prohibited McLoughlin from acting as a director or officer of any issuer. Because […]
KABOOM! SEC, Feds Target Alleged Money-Laundering Operation In Costa Rica; 6 People From Various Countries Charged Criminally; 7 Charged Civilly In Coordinated Probe Of ‘Pump And Dump’ Schemes
BULLETIN: Two days after Southern Florida’s top federal prosecutor warned that offshore fraudsters who targeted Americans had no safe haven, six people from various parts of the world who allegedly ran or contributed to a pump-and-dump scheme that used the services of a money-laundering operation in Costa Rica have been charged criminally, authorities said. The […]
GO FINRA! Regulator Tackles Online HYIPs; Issues Warning On ‘Social Media-Linked Ponzi Schemes’; References P2P, Genius Funds, ‘Con Artists’ And ‘Bizarre Substratum’ Of Internet
EDITOR’S NOTE: It has become increasingly clear that regulators and the law-enforcement community are rallying around a common theme that web-based promoters are using discussion forums and social-networking sites in bids to sanitize HYIP Ponzi schemes by positioning them as attractive investment opportunities and even a thrilling form of gambling that pays commissions. Today the […]
Another HYIP Pushed By ASD Members Now DOA; Cypriot, Canadian Securities Regulators Issue Warnings About Genius Funds; Regulator Seeks Criminal Probe
Regulators in Cyprus have referred Genius Funds for criminal investigation and released a warning that the company “[is] not permitted to provide investment and ancillary services in the Republic.” Genius Funds, a darling of the HYIP world, was heavily promoted on the Ponzi boards. The program also is known as Genius Investments. The program was […]
HYIP/AUTOSURF SHOCKWAVES: Regulators Order Canadian Ponzi Schemers To Pay Penalties Totaling $26 Million And To Disgorge Illegal Profits Of $16 Million; Case Has Parallels To AdSurfDaily And AdViewGlobal
The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) has ordered four respondents in a civil action to pay penalties of $26 million for operating a Ponzi scheme and to surrender $16 million in illegal profits. In forceful findings that may echo throughout the HYIP and autosurfing universe, BCSC said the schemers tried to skirt securities laws by […]