Sanjeev Jayant Kumar Shah, a former Smith Barney financial services adviser, has pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud and three counts of wire fraud over his involvement in a securities scam to bilk clients of Citibank and his firm. Shah was charged with diverting about $3.25 million from…
Securities and Exchange Commission Inspector General H. David Kotz says that his office is looking into a complaint that a regional official told examiners to not go after “red flags” that were found in an exam of an investment adviser where a “massive fraud” was discovered. The official in question…
In her “Message from the Chairman,” Securities and Exchange Commission head Mary Schapiro celebrated the SEC’s performance related to internal reforms over the past year. Her note was included in the agency’s FY 2010 Performance and Accountability Report. Schapiro applauded the SEC’s changes to its examinations and enforcement programs. She…
The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced a proposal to temporarily extend a rule that facilitates certain proprietary trading by entities that are registered as both broker-dealers and investment advisers. The proposed extension would move Rule 206(3)-3T’s expiration date by two years, from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2012.…
The Securities and Exchange Commission will be taking a closer look at the actions of ex- Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc. General Counsel Theodore Urban. Urban has been accused of failing to reasonably supervise stockbroker Stephen Glantz, who was involved a stock market manipulating scam with Innotrac Corp. stock. It is…
Texas attorney Russel Mackert has pleaded guilty to charges related to his involvement in an alleged $100 million life settlement fraud scheme that targeted over 800 investors. A number of the investors that Mackert scammed were retirees. The Department of Justice says that Mackert, who was the attorney for a…
According to the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, the largest investment fraud sweep ever conducted by the United States has ended. Called Operation Broken Trust, the probe involved 231 cases and over 120,000 fraud victims who sustained over $8 billion in investment losses. Operation Broken Trust’s objective was to discover…
The US District Court has approved an amendment to the proposed Charles Schwab Corporation Securities Litigation settlement. The Supplemental Notice of Proposed Settlement of Class Action has been sent to the affected class members, which includes those who may have held Schwab YieldPlus Fund shares on September 1, 2006 and…
The Court of Appeals of Texas has held that in a shareholder agreement regarding the purchase of company stock, the federal and state Securities Acts anti-waiver provisions did not bar the enforcement of an international forum selection clause. The parties had consented to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Ontario,…
TV star Larry Hagman, best known for playing the roles of Texas oil tycoon JR Ewing on “Dallas” and Major Anthony Nelson on “I Dream of Jeannie,” recently won an $11.6 million securities fraud arbitration award against Citigroup. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority says that the award is the largest…