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Tag: SEC

BULLETIN: Another Spectacular Florida Ponzi Case Emerging; Nevin K. Shapiro Charged Criminally, Civilly In Alleged $900 Million Fraud

BULLETIN: Nevin K. Shapiro, the founder and president of Capitol Investments USA Inc., surrendered to authorities this morning after being charged both criminally and civilly in an alleged $900 million Ponzi and fraud scheme in south Florida and elsewhere, the SEC said. Shapiro, 41, is a prominent Miami Beach businessman and philanthropist in the wholesale…

Apr 21, 2010
FINRA/SEC Move Against New York Firm; Second Major Case In 24 Hours; Clients Suspect Colossal Ponzi Fraud At McGinn, Smith & Co.

Another investigation into allegations of spectacular financial fraud is under way in New York. The case against McGinn, Smith & Co. of Albany is the second to rock the state in the past 24 hours. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) filed a complaint against the company and its president David L. Smith yesterday. The…

Apr 20, 2010
BULLETIN: Trevor Cook, Minnesota Ponzi Scheme Figure, Pleads Guilty In $190 Million Fraud Case

BULLETIN: (UPDATED 12:35 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Trevor G. Cook, implicated in a $190 million Ponzi scheme that pushed tremendous sums of money all over the world and is believed to have fleeced investors out of at least $139 million, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Minnesota. No sentencing date has been sent.…

Apr 13, 2010
Another Fraud Case In Minnesota: Renee Marie Brown Accused By SEC Of Starting ‘Sham’ Investment Fund Known As ‘X’

UPDATED 7:52 A.M. EDT (April 13, U.S.A.) On the very day Tom Petters was sentenced in Minnesota to 50 years in prison for operating a colossal Ponzi scheme, a federal judge froze the assets of Renee Marie Brown after the SEC accused her of ripping off clients by persuading them to invest in a mysterious…

Apr 12, 2010
RECEIVER: Cook/Kiley Ponzi ‘Incredible Tragedy’; Some Investors ‘Destitute’; Management So Screwed Up That Historic Van Dusen Mansion Was Not Insured; Assets ‘Sent All Over The World’

EDITOR’S NOTE: As is the case with other Ponzi schemes, the alleged Trevor Cook/Pat Kiley scheme in Minnesota is proving to be an incredible paper chase that is consuming hundreds of hours of manpower as attorneys, investigators and support staff work to reverse-engineer what authorities say was an epic, international fraud. Want to be a…

Apr 7, 2010
NEWS/UPDATES: Feds Charge Donald Young In Massive Ponzi In Pennsylvania; Matthew Pizzolato Pleads Guilty In Louisiana; Jeffrey Mowen Loses Cars In Utah; ‘Today’ Show Interviews Daughter Who Turned In Mom For Ponzi

A grand jury has returned an indictment against a suburban Philadelphia man, accusing him of operating a Ponzi scheme that gathered at least $95 million and fleeced investors of more than $25 million. Charged criminally with mail fraud and money-laundering was Donald Anthony Young, who also has been sued by the SEC. Meanwhile, Matthew Pizzolato…

Apr 2, 2010
Sean Healy Sentenced To Nearly 16 Years, Ordered To Pay $16.7 Million In Ponzi Case; Meanwhile, Trevor Cook Reportedly Has Plea Deal

A federal judge has ordered a Florida man to spend nearly 16 years in prison and pay $16.7 million in restitution for fleecing investors in a Ponzi scheme. Sean Healy, 39, of Weston, scammed dozens of investors in Pennsylvania. He went on to live in the lap of luxury in Florida, acquiring a $2.4 million…

Apr 1, 2010
BULLETIN: Trevor Cook Charged Criminally With Mail Fraud And Tax Evasion In Alleged $190 Million Ponzi Case In Minnesota

BULLETIN: Trevor Cook, the reputed head of a $190 million Ponzi scheme in Minnesota, has been charged criminally with mail fraud and income-tax evasion. Cook, 37, previously had been charged civilly by the SEC and the CFTC. The criminal charges filed today came after a probe by the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigations Unit,…

Mar 30, 2010
ALERT: International Con Artists Target Madoff Victims; Regulatory Agencies, Receiver In Cook/Kiley Ponzi Case Go On Guard For Copycats

An individual or group of individuals believed to be operating internationally created a website that mimicked the website of the U.S. Securities Investor Protection Corp. (SIPC) “in an apparent attempt to target [Bernard] Madoff victims” in a fraud scheme, SIPC said. SIPC and the SEC issued warnings immediately, as did the court-appointed receiver in the…

Mar 12, 2010
Spokesman For Renner-Related Company Did Not Disclose Tie In Opinion Piece That Attacked Star-Tribune Newspaper; Name Is Referenced In Secret Service Affidavit; Declines To Answer Questions From PP Blog

UPDATED 2:25 P.M. ET (March 2, U.S.A.) The vice president and director of public relations for V-Newswire — a company in Steve Renner’s INetGlobal family — authored an opinion piece lambasting a Minnesota newspaper’s coverage of a Secret Service raid at INetGlobal’s Minneapolis offices last week on his personal Blog, but did not disclose his…

Mar 1, 2010
ANOTHER FLORIDA FRAUD CONVICTION: Michael J. Muzio Ran ‘Pump-And-Dump’ Scheme In Case Tied To Ponzi And Affinity-Fraud Scheme Targeting Haitian-Americans

A Florida man implicated in a pump-and-dump scheme tied to a Ponzi- and affinity-fraud scheme has been convicted and faces decades in federal prison. Michael J. Muzio, 46, of Tampa, was convicted on six counts of securities fraud, two counts of substantive wire fraud, two counts of lying to the SEC and the FBI and…

Feb 20, 2010