Investment Fraud

Insider trading fraud refers to the intentional use of inside information to gain an unfair advantage in trading securities. This can involve the illegal buying or selling of securities based on material non-public information, as well as the disclosure of this information to others who then use it to trade securities. Insider trading fraud can take many forms, including: Misappropriation of confidential information: This involves an individual using confidential information obtained through their employment or other relationship with a company to make trades on securities. Tipping: This involves an individual providing confidential information to another person, who then uses the ... Read more

Ponzi schemes are fraudulent investment scams that promise high returns with little or no risk to investors. They are named after Charles Ponzi, who became notorious for using this type of fraud in the early 20th century. In a Ponzi scheme, the fraudster recruits new investors and uses their money to pay off earlier investors, creating the illusion of profitable returns. The fraudster may use various tactics to convince investors to participate, such as promises of guaranteed returns, high-pressure sales tactics, or even personal relationships. Ponzi schemes eventually collapse when the fraudster can no longer find enough new investors to ... Read more

Cyber and malware attacks are very common today in the finance industry. Detecting them is complicated and hard. Regular implementation of protective measures against new attacks is necessary.  Traditional protective measures such as CVV2 and one-time passwords are not effective at combating the new cyber crime techniques.Criminals today use attacks including trojans that bypass traditional security measures. Remember that criminals are always developing new tricks to stay ahead of their game.  Financial Fraud Prevention  Security is a very important consideration for companies and individuals when choosing a banking institution. Financial institutions must make security a priority and adequate fraud prevention ... Read more

Corporate Insider Convicted of Conspiring with Others at Long Island Boiler Room to Pump and Dump Stock on Unsuspecting Elderly Investors Illegal Stock Promotion and Manipulation Scheme Cost Victims Million of Dollars A federal jury in Central Islip returned a guilty verdict on all counts this afternoon against Michael Watts, a former registered broker, for his role in a conspiracy to promote and manipulate the price of shares in Hydrocarb Energy Corp. (Hydrocarb) and other companies. Specifically, Watts was convicted of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and money laundering. The ... Read more

Former Chief Operating Officer of Davis Bio-Pesticide Company Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail, Wire, and Securities Fraud SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Hector Absi, 51, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and securities fraud, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, Absi is the former head of the sales department of Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. (MBI), a company headquartered in Davis, California that produces “bio-based” pesticides. Absi also served as MBI’s Chief Operating Officer from January 2014 until his resignation in August 2014. MBI is ... Read more

Former Informix Executive Hauled Into Court On 19-Year-Old Indictment Regarding Alleged Investment Fraud Scheme Walter Konigseder arrested on investment fraud charges SAN FRANCISCO – This morning, former Informix executive Walter Konigseder appeared in federal court to face investment fraud charges laid out in an 11-count indictment filed in October of 2000, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. A federal grand jury indicted Konigseder, 67, a German national, on October 5, 2000. According to the indictment, in the early 1990s, Konigseder was the Sales Director and Country Manager ... Read more

Former KPMG Executive Sentenced For Scheme To Steal Confidential PCAOB Information Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that DAVID MIDDENDORF, the former head of KPMG’s National Office, also known as the Department of Professional Practice (the “DPP”), was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for participating in a scheme to defraud the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) by obtaining, disseminating, and using confidential lists of which KPMG audits the PCAOB would be reviewing so that KPMG could improve its performance in PCAOB inspections. Middendorf was ... Read more

Former Financial Planner Indicted For Investment Fraud Scheme And Failure To File Tax Returns PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Former financial planner James A. Young III, 49, of Milton, Florida, was arraigned today in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with two counts of wire fraud and three counts of failure to file tax returns over a three-year period. The indictment was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. The indictment alleges that between 2010 and 2014, while working as a financial planner, Young solicited ... Read more

Former Oil Company President Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Stock Manipulation Scheme United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the sentencing of RYAN RANDALL GILBERTSON, 42, founder of Dakota Plains Holdings, Inc., to 144 months in federal prison, a $2 million fine, and over $15 million in restitution. GILBERTSON was sentenced today by Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A federal jury convicted GILBERTSON and co-defendant DOUGLAS VAUGHN HOSKINS, 50, of multiple counts of wire fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, on June 26, 2018, following an 11-day jury ... Read more

Realtor Sentenced For Stealing Millions From Clients ATLANTA – Emily Moerdermo Fu, a metro Atlanta realtor and businesswoman who defrauded clients out of over $22 million dollars over a two-year period, has been sentenced to seven years, three months for mail fraud. “While Fu was a well-respected real estate and financial professional, she took advantage of her reputation and clients’ trust to defraud them,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “In some cases she created fictitious closings and then pocketed the money. In other instances, she went through with the closing and used the property as collateral for unauthorized ... Read more

Former Director Of Healthcare Services Company Charged In Alleged $300 Million Investment Fraud Scheme The Defendant And His Conspirators Allegedly Inflated Company’s Value and Revenue to Defraud Investors NEWARK, N.J. – A former member of the board of directors of a publicly traded healthcare services company was arrested at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport over the weekend for allegedly participating in a widespread scheme to defraud investors and others out of hundreds of millions of dollars in connection with a merger transaction designed to convert the company into a private entity, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito for the District of ... Read more

Owings Mills Woman Pleads Guilty to Obtaining Over $4.3 Million in an Advance Fee Fraud Scheme and to Evading Taxes on that Income Baltimore, Maryland – Late on November 29, 2018—a few days before she was scheduled to go to trial—Lauren Montillo, age 47, of Owings Mills, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to tax evasion. According to her plea agreement, from 2010 through 2015, Montillo and her co-conspirators sought at least $8.7 million in advance fees from foreign and United States victims, purporting to offer access to exotic bank financial instruments. Victims paid $4,342,540 in ... Read more

Former Owner and CEO of Yellowstone Partners Investment Firm Indicted for Fraud BOISE – David Hansen, 47, formerly of Idaho Falls, was indicted yesterday, by a federal grand jury sitting in Boise on 17 counts of wire fraud and six counts of tax fraud, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Hansen was the 90 percent owner and chief executive officer of Yellowstone Partners, LLC, an investment management firm headquartered in Idaho Falls. The indictment alleges the following: Yellowstone Partners managed its clients’ investment funds pursuant to management agreements that provided for Yellowstone Partners to collect fees for its services. The ... Read more

Trader Sentenced to 15 Months in Federal Prison for Misappropriating $1.1 Million in Cryptocurrencies CHICAGO — In the first criminal prosecution in Chicago involving the cryptocurrency trading industry, a federal judge has sentenced a trader to 15 months in prison for misappropriating $1.1 million in Bitcoin and Litecoin. Over a two-month period in the fall of 2017, JOSEPH KIM, 24, of Phoenix, Ariz., misappropriated at least $600,000 of his trading firm’s Bitcoin and Litecoin cryptocurrency for his own personal benefit. At the time, Kim worked in Chicago as an assistant trader for Consolidated Trading LLC, a proprietary trading firm that ... Read more