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Tag: SEC

Florida Recidivist Swindler John A. Mattera Pleads Guilty In Fraud Scheme That Traded On Names Of Facebook And Groupon

John A. Mattera, the recidivist Boca Raton swindler who was charged civilly and criminally last year in a new caper, has pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, federal prosecutors said. He potentially faces decades in prison.…

Oct 3, 2012
‘Investor-Fraud Summits’ Set For 6 U.S. Cities: Stamford, Conn.; Nashville, Tenn.; San Francisco; Denver; Cleveland And Miami

What: Investor Fraud Summits. Where/When: Stamford, Conn. (today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT at the University of Connecticut – Stamford Campus); Nashville, Tenn. (Oct. 4 from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT at Vanderbilt University Law School’s Flynn Auditorium located at 131 21st Avenue South) ; San Francisco (Oct. 9, in Walnut Creek,…

Oct 1, 2012
Month After Zeek Ponzi Complaint By SEC, ASD Figures (And Zeek Pitchmen) Todd Disner And Dwight Owen Schweitzer Accuse Judge Who Dismissed Their ASD-Related Lawsuit Of ‘Sophistry’; Duo Tries To Reopen Case And Have Judge Removed

MLM pitchmen and AdSurfDaily figures Todd Disner and Dwight Owen Schweitzer — both of whom went on to become promoters of the alleged Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme — have accused a federal judge of “sophistry.” Sophistry, according to Dictionary.com, means “a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning.” Disner turned to MLM…

Sep 28, 2012
SEC Says Zeek Probe ‘Is Continuing’; Agency Updates Information Page

UPDATED 10:05 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The SEC today updated its information site on the Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme case, noting its investigation “is continuing” and pointedly adding language that “ZeekRewards and [Paul R.] Burks immediately consented to an asset freeze, the appointment of a receiver over their assets, and the payment of a $4 million…

Sep 26, 2012
UPDATE: 1-Percent-A-Day Ponzi Schemer Andy Bowdoin Of AdSurfDaily In Custody Of U.S. Marshals And On Way To Federal Prison

Convicted AdSurfDaily Ponzi schemer Andy Bowdoin is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and is listed “in transit” to a federal detention facility, according to court filings and the Federal Bureau of Prisons website. Where Bowdoin, 77, will do his time has not yet been revealed. But a criminal judgment against Bowdoin signed…

Sep 25, 2012
ZEEK: Part Of The Backstory — In Pictures

UPDATED 4:20 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Unsolved mysteries remain in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme case. Among the unanswered questions are these: How many members did Zeek have in common with AdSurfDaily, a predecessor 1-percent-a-day scam to the Zeek scheme? Why do some Zeek “defenders” appear to be engaged in bizarre bids to harass and menace…

Sep 23, 2012
2 Attorneys Have Filed Court Notices For Robert Craddock’s Fun Club USA ‘And Other Entities Whose Assets Were Seized,’ According To Zeek Docket

UPDATED 7:58 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The mystery of precisely who would represent Zeek Rewards figure Robert Craddock in a bid to intervene in the Zeek Ponzi scheme case may be over. Attorney Rodney E. Alexander of Charlotte has filed an appearance notice for Fun Club USA Inc., Craddock’s Florida business that raised funds for a…

Sep 19, 2012
ZEEK UPDATE: Thousands Of Records Filed Under Seal

UPDATED 4:20 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Attorneys for accused Ponzi schemer Paul R. Burks of the Zeek Rewards MLM “program” operated through North Carolina-based Rex Venture Group LLC have filed thousands of records under seal. On Sept. 17, Burks’ attorneys sought the approval of Senior U.S. District Judge Graham C. Mullen to file the documents under…

Sep 19, 2012
BULLETIN: Mantria Ponzi Scheme Pitchmen Hit With Millions Of Dollars In Disgorgement And Penalties — And Principals Ordered To Pay Tens Of Millions

BULLETIN: Two pitchmen for the Mantria Corp. “green” Ponzi scheme have been ordered to pay millions of dollars in disgorgement and penalties, including a purported wealth coach who advised people who contacted him after the 2009 collapse of Mantria to join the Trump Network MLM “opportunity.” Mantria purportedly was an environmentally friendly investment opportunity. In…

Sep 18, 2012
BULLETIN: Zeek Had $20.7 Million In AlertPay/Payza And $20 Million In SolidTrustPay

BULLETIN: (UPDATED 9:18 P.M. EDT U.S.A.) New court filings by accused Ponzi schemer Paul R. Burks of Rex Venture Group LLC show that Zeek Rewards had more than $40 million in offshore payment processors. Included in that sum is $20.765 million in Canada’s AlertPay/Payza, and $20 million in Canada’s SolidTrustPay. Today’s filing also shows $10…

Sep 17, 2012
BULLETIN: Citing Gregory McKnight’s ‘Semantic Obfuscation,’ Prosecutors Ask Judge To Sentence Convicted Legisi HYIP Swindler To 15 Years — ‘The Top Of The Sentencing Guidelines’; Like Zeek, ‘Program’ Was Pushed On The Ponzi Boards And Instructed Members Not To Use The Word ‘Investment’

BULLETIN: Yesterday’s scheduled sentencing of convicted Legisi HYIP swindler Gregory N. McKnight has been delayed until Nov. 19, but federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Michigan have asked U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith to sentence McKnight to 15 years in prison. McKnight and Legisi relied on “semantic obfuscation” in which investors were told…

Sep 12, 2012