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Tag: SEC

INCREDIBLE: Florida — Again: SEC Files Complaint Against Purported ‘Gold’ Mining Operation In Miami Known As Quri Resources And Its CEO, Jaime Santiago Gomez

BULLETIN: The SEC has gone to federal court in Florida to accuse Quri Resources Inc. and its Chief Executive Officer Jaime Santiago Gomez of operating a pump-and-dump scheme to drive up the price of Quri’s unregistered stock. It was the second major action in Florida today against companies and individuals who allegedly were running stock-fraud…

Sep 30, 2010
TOILET-PAPER CAPER: Tipster Told FBI That Some Of Trevor Cook’s Ponzi Loot Was Stashed Behind Bathroom Tissue Dispenser; In Blistering Memo, SEC Says Cook’s Word ‘Not Worth The Paper That It Is Written On’

“Based on his track record, there is no reason to doubt — and every reason to believe — that [Trevor] Cook is hiding assets, and that he can do much, much more to recover stolen funds. Why else would Cook send millions of dollars to 14 foreign countries, including Dubai, Cyprus, Greece, Belize, Antigua, England,…

Sep 25, 2010
INTERPOL Chief Says His Identity Was Stolen In Fraud Bid On Facebook; Meanwhile, MPB Today Members Post Check-Waving Videos On Social-Media Sites And WebsiteTester.biz Gathers 400,000 Names And Email Addresses

Earlier this week the PP Blog reported that members of MPB Today were using YouTube and other sites to post images of checks drawn on a distressed Florida bank. The checks, which were supplied as purported “proof” of MPB Today’s legitimacy, may expose both the posters and the bank to security breaches and identity theft.…

Sep 18, 2010
UPDATE: Ponzi ‘Shakedown’ Suspects Who Impersonated Federal Agents Get 6 Months’ Home Detention And Are Placed On Probation For 2 Years

Three people charged with conspiring to impersonate federal agents in a bid to rattle the nerves of a Ponzi scheme suspect and recover money have been sentenced to 180 days of home confinement and placed on federal probation for two years. A fourth defendant in the shakedown scheme avoided a sentence of home confinement but…

Sep 13, 2010
Forex Ponzi Schemers Who Targeted Deaf Investors Hit With $6.2 Million In Sanctions; ‘Billion Coupons’ Case Drew Comparisons To Defunct Noobing Autosurf

A Hawaii man and his company were hit with sanctions totaling $6.2 million in a case that alleged they targeted people with hearing impairments in a Forex Ponzi scheme. Both the SEC and the CFTC filed actions against Marvin Cooper and his Honolulu-based firm, Billion Coupons Inc. (BCI). The CFTC announced the judgment against Cooper…

Sep 3, 2010
Ponzi Pitchman Pleads Guilty To Alleged Role In Massive Oil-And-Gas Swindle; ‘We Will Be Relentless In Our Pursuit’ Of Scammers, Top Federal Prosecutor Says

A Dallas man accused of fleecing investors in oil-and-gas schemes that gathered $535 million in Texas and Michigan has pleaded guilty to his role in the alleged schemes. â€œInvestment fraud is, at its core, a betrayal of trust by one person to another,” said U.S. Attorney John M. Bales of the Eastern District of Texas.Â …

Sep 1, 2010
WRETCHED, TAWDRY AND CHEAP: AdSurfDaily Members Now Targeted In Pitches For An MLM 2X2 Cycler — One That Trades On Walmart’s Name While Affiliate Offers ‘Blessings’

UPDATED 7:11 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) When U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum sentenced Ponzi schemer Trevor Cook to a quarter of a century in federal prison earlier this week, the judge used some powerful words to describe Cook’s colossal fraud. Rosenbaum described the scheme that bilked investors out of at least $158 million as “wretched, tawdry…

Aug 26, 2010
BULLETIN: Trevor Cook Sentenced To 25 Years In Federal Prison; Victims Lost At Least $158 Million In International Forex Ponzi Scheme That Traded On Religion

BULLETIN: Ponzi schemer Trevor Cook has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his role in an international Forex Ponzi scheme that gathered more than $190 million and fleeced victims out of more than $158 million. In ordering the prison term, U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum sided with the prosecution’s recommendation of a…

Aug 24, 2010
KABOOM! Feds Release Info On ‘Alpha Trade Group’ Forex Scheme With Ties To Mexico, Panama; Records Suggest Scheme Was Collapsing Even Prior To Promos On TalkGold, MoneyMakerGroup Forums

Yet another HYIP scheme pushed on the TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup forums has been outlined by federal prosecutors — this time in Florida. The name of the scheme was Alpha Trade Group (ATG), and web records show that the scheme was pitched on TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup beginning on Oct. 7, 2009. Court records, meanwhile, show that…

Aug 23, 2010
UPDATE: Robert Hodgins Still Wanted By Interpol; Co-Defendant In Narcotics Probe With Link To AdSurfDaily Case Sentenced To Prison; Colombian Drug Business Used Same Debit Card As ASD

A Colombian national implicated in an international conspiracy to launder drug money has been sentenced to 45 months in prison, federal prosecutors announced. Meanwhile, another figure in the alleged scheme — Robert Hodgins, the operator of Dallas-based Virtual Money Inc. (VM) — remains at large, prosecutors said. Hodgins is wanted by Interpol on a warrant…

Aug 15, 2010
SEC: Oil-And-Gas Scammer Paid Belize Company For Ad That Ran On CNBC, Fox Business News; Offer Proved To Be Fraudulent; Jon C. Ginder Charged In Emergency Action

A Texas man paid a Belize company to produce ads that ran on CNBC and Fox Business News for his oil-and-gas venture, but the offer proved to be fraudulent and the SEC has filed an emergency court action to stop the scheme, the agency said. Jon C. Grinder of Houston used “at least” $210,000 of…

Aug 13, 2010