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Securities Fraud

Albany County Personal Pilot To Billionaire Investor Admits Role In Insider Trading Scheme Albany County Personal Pilot To Billionaire Investor Admits Role In Insider Trading Scheme
Albany County Personal Pilot To Billionaire Investor Admits Role In Insider Trading Scheme A private pilot from New York has admitted to taking part in an insider trading scheme involving his billionaire boss. Albany County resident Patrick O’Connor, age 67, of Preston-Potter Hollow, pleaded guilty to securities fraud in Albany federal court on Monday, Feb. 26. O’Connor worked as a personal pilot to billionaire Joseph Lewis, a British businessman and investor who is the principal owner of the Tavistock Group, an international private investment organization. According to prosecutors, Lewis, age 87, was regularly given material, non-public information about various companies for …
Severna Park Woman Admits To Role In $1.89B Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme Severna Park Woman Admits To Role In $1.89B Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme
Severna Park Woman Admits To Role In $1.89B Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme A Maryland woman went under the name of “Bitcoin Beautee” during her role alongside two others in a Cryptocurrency fraud scheme that netted more than $1.89 billion, she admitted in US District Court on Monday, Jan. 29. Brenda Chunga, 43, of Severna Park, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud for her role as a promoter of HyperFund, also known as HyperTech, HyperCapital, HyperVerse, and HyperNation, US Attorney Erek Barron announced. The plea came just four days after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Sam Lee, 35, an Australian citizen…
$2M Fraud Scheme: Suffolk County Trio Steals Millions From Financial Services Company, Feds Say $2M Fraud Scheme: Suffolk County Trio Steals Millions From Financial Services Company, Feds Say
$2M Fraud Scheme: Suffolk County Trio Steals Millions From Financial Services Company, Feds Say Three Long Island men are among several people accused in an elaborate scheme to defraud a financial services company out of millions. An indictment unsealed in Central Islip federal court on Tuesday, Oct. 31, charges four men with conspiring to commit securities fraud and money laundering. The following Suffolk County residents are named in the indictment: Christopher Flagg (aka “Venus”), age 28, of Copiague Daquan Lloyd (aka “Payday”), age 29, of Copiague Eduardo Hernandez (aka “Ghost”), age 33, of Lindenhurst According to prosecutors, the group created hundreds of sham brokerage accoun…
$2.7M Scheme: Greenwich Investment Advisor Admits Defrauding Dozens Of Clients $2.7M Scheme: Greenwich Investment Advisor Admits Defrauding Dozens Of Clients
$2.7M Scheme: Greenwich Investment Advisor Admits Defrauding Dozens Of Clients An investment advisor based in Fairfield County has admitted to defrauding dozens of clients of $2.7 million through a “cherry-picking” securities scheme. Jonathan Vincent Glenn, age 54, of Greenwich, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty late last week in Hartford federal court to defrauding investment clients through a “cherry-picking” securities scheme. Through this scheme, Glenn defrauded over 45 clients a total of around $2.7 million, according to federal authorities. Glenn's plea and details in the case were announced on Friday, Oct. 6 by Vanessa Roberts Avery, Unit…
Ex-NJ Corrections Officer's Crypto Scam Targeted Police, Firefighters, EMTs: Authorities Ex-NJ Corrections Officer's Crypto Scam Targeted Police, Firefighters, EMTs: Authorities
Ex-NJ Corrections Officer's Crypto Scam Targeted Police, Firefighters, EMTs: Authorities A retired New Jersey corrections lieutenant preyed on his peers with a cryptocurrency scheme that cost participating police, firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders more than $620,000, state and federal authorities said. John DeSalvo, 47, of Linwood, also pulled a $100,000 investment scam that authorities said went to covering his credit card bills, day trading in cryptocurrencies and payments to a contractor who handled a luxury bathroom renovation for him. DeSalvo -- who worked for the New Jersey Department of Corrections for 13 years before retiring in 2010 -- created and promote…
Broker Loses Registration, Fined $150G For Going Rogue With Hudson Valley Tequila Startup Broker Loses Registration, Fined $150G For Going Rogue With Hudson Valley Tequila Startup
Broker Loses Registration, Fined $150G For Going Rogue With Hudson Valley Tequila Startup A former New Jersey broker-dealer agent from Rockland County had his registration revoked and was fined $150,000 for steering clients to a Hudson Valley tequila startup whose founder went to federal prison. Michael W. Mandel of Suffern sold the securities in the form of ownership interests in "6 Degree Tequila" via unauthorized private transactions, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.  Records show Mandel was working at the time as an agent and investment adviser representative for two New Jersey broker-dealers -- Royal Alliance Associates in Old Tappan and, later, LPL Fina…
NJ Broker Loses Registration, Fined $150G For Going Rogue With Hudson Valley Tequila Startup NJ Broker Loses Registration, Fined $150G For Going Rogue With Hudson Valley Tequila Startup
NJ Broker Loses Registration, Fined $150G For Going Rogue With Hudson Valley Tequila Startup A former New Jersey broker-dealer agent from Rockland County had his registration revoked and was fined $150,000 for steering clients to a Hudson Valley tequila startup whose founder went to federal prison. Michael W. Mandel of Suffern sold the securities in the form of ownership interests in "6 Degree Tequila" via unauthorized private transactions, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said.  Records show Mandel was working at the time as an agent and investment adviser representative for two New Jersey broker-dealers -- Royal Alliance Associates in Old Tappan and, later, LPL Fina…
$30M Insider Trading Case: Dutchess Duo Profited From Pharmaceutical Merger Info, Feds Say $30M Insider Trading Case: Dutchess Duo Profited From Pharmaceutical Merger Info, Feds Say
$30M Insider Trading Case: Dutchess Duo Profited From Pharmaceutical Merger Info, Feds Say Four men from New York and Massachusetts, including a police chief, are accused of making millions of dollars through an insider trading scheme involving one pharmaceutical company’s acquisition of another. The case, announced by the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York on Thursday, June 29, is one of four separate insider trading cases that reportedly generated a combined $30 million for those involved. Named in the case are: Shawn Cronin, age 43, of Dighton in Bristol County, Massachusetts and chief of the Dighton Police Department Joseph Dupont, age 44, of Rehoboth…
'We Don't Want To End Up In Orange Jumpsuits,' Said CEO Arrested For $175M Scam In NJ 'We Don't Want To End Up In Orange Jumpsuits,' Said CEO Arrested For $175M Scam In NJ
'We Don't Want To End Up In Orange Jumpsuits,' Said CEO Arrested For $175M Scam In NJ A former CEO whose star once shone so bright she made the Forbes 30-Under-30 list could soon be swapping her business suits for prison jumpsuits — something she'd been dreading. "We don't want to end up in orange jumpsuits," is what Charlie Javice apparently said months before her New Jersey arrest Monday, April 3, according to federal prosecutors. The 31-year-old founder of Frank, a for-profit company that simplified the student loan application process, is facing federal charges for falsifying data sets, ultimately scamming J.P Morgan Chase out of $175 million officials said. It wasn't i…
Ex-Trump PAC Exec Who Blamed 'That B****' Hillary Clinton For Probe Indicted By Feds In NJ Ex-Trump PAC Exec Who Blamed 'That B****' Hillary Clinton For Probe Indicted By Feds In NJ
Ex-Trump PAC Exec Who Blamed 'That B****' Hillary Clinton For Probe Indicted By Feds In NJ A former pro-Trump PAC exec who blamed "that b**** Hillary Clinton" for his troubles with the law swindled more than two dozen investors out of $7 million, an indictment returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Newark alleges. U.S. Homeland Security agents a year ago this month smashed the alleged Ponzi scheme that they said New Jersey-based businessman David Schamens, 65, used to fund a lavish lifestyle. Now comes a March 28 indictment that charges him with wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. Schamens, of Greensboro, North Carolina, used some of the investment money fro…
Phucket Fugitive Returned To Face Charges In NJ Deli Fraud Scheme Phucket Fugitive Returned To Face Charges In NJ Deli Fraud Scheme
Phucket Fugitive Returned To Face Charges In NJ Deli Fraud Scheme A fugitive from Thailand was returned to the United States to face charges in a massive market manipulation scheme involving a New Jersey deli company whose stock was once valued at an illogical $100 million, federal authorities announced. A U.S. District Court magistrate judge in Newark ordered one-time Hong Kong businessman Peter Coker Jr. held after he was flown in custody from a Bangkok jail. Coker, 54, formerly of North Carolina, was seized at a hotel in the resort area of Phuket in mid-January following the arrests of his father, Peter Coker Sr., and James Patten in North Carolina. C…
'Cybercriminal, Cheat' Russian Hacker Guilty Of Boston Stock Conspiracy: Feds 'Cybercriminal, Cheat' Russian Hacker Guilty Of Boston Stock Conspiracy: Feds
'Cybercriminal, Cheat' Russian Hacker Guilty Of Boston Stock Conspiracy: Feds A Russian businessman was convicted this week of an elaborate conspiracy where he and several others hacked into a computer system located in Boston to steal yet-to-released earnings reports from hundreds of companies and used the information to buy stocks, authorities said. They made nearly $100 million in this scheme, officials added.  Vladislav Klyushin, age 42, of Moscow, was found guilty on Tuesday, Feb. 14, on all charges, including wire fraud and securities fraud, following a 10-day trial in Boston, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. He faces up to 30 years in federal prison.  …
'CryptoQueen' Charged In NY On FBI's 10 Most Wanted: May Have Armed Guards, Changed Appearance 'CryptoQueen' Charged In NY On FBI's 10 Most Wanted: May Have Armed Guards, Changed Appearance
'CryptoQueen' Charged In NY On FBI's 10 Most Wanted: May Have Armed Guards, Changed Appearance A woman charged in New York with stealing billions of dollars from investors around the world may have changed her appearance and be traveling with armed guards, according to federal agents.  Bulgaria native Ruja Ignatova, age 42, has been placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List for participating in a fake cryptocurrency scheme that defrauded victims of more than $4 billion in total.  The scheme began in 2014 when Ignatova founded OneCoin Ltd., a Bulgaria-based company that marketed a fake cryptocurrency to investors. To solicit funds, she would make f…
NJ Deli Fraud Scheme Mastermind Arrested In Thailand: Feds NJ Deli Fraud Scheme Mastermind Arrested In Thailand: Feds
NJ Deli Fraud Scheme Mastermind Arrested In Thailand: Feds An international company chairman charged over a purported scheme to manipulate the stock market — one that resulted in a bogus $100M valuation for a Gloucester County deli despite minimal sales — was arrested in Thailand, the feds confirmed. Peter Coker Jr., 54, had been a fugitive since September when prosecutors filed 12 federal charges against him, his father, Peter Coker Sr., 80, and associate James Patten, 63. The trio allegedly boosted the share prices of Hometown International Inc. and another firm, E-Waste Corp. Matthew Reilly, a spokesperson for the New Jersey US Attorney’s Offic…
White Plains Man, Partner Sentenced For Roles In $1M Ponzi Scheme White Plains Man, Partner Sentenced For Roles In $1M Ponzi Scheme
White Plains Man, Partner Sentenced For Roles In $1M Ponzi Scheme A Westchester County man and his business partner have been sentenced for their roles in a nearly decade-long $1-million Ponzi scheme. White Plains resident James Doyle, age 74, and Carl Carro, age 61, of Walton, Delaware, were convicted of defrauding investors in New York and throughout the nation. On Thursday, Jan. 12, Carro was sentenced to four to eight years in prison, and Doyle was sentenced to five years probation, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced. As part of their respective sentences, Carro and Doyle agreed to pay a total of more than $1 million in judgments …
Broker Sentenced In Suffolk ‘Boiler Room’ Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Out Of Millions Broker Sentenced In Suffolk ‘Boiler Room’ Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Out Of Millions
Broker Sentenced In Suffolk ‘Boiler Room’ Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Out Of Millions A former stockbroker is heading to federal prison for his role in a massive fraud scheme based on Long Island that swindled elderly victims out of millions of dollars. Lawrence Isen, age 69, of California, was sentenced to five years behind bars in federal court in Central Islip Friday, Jan. 6. Earlier Report: Former Broker Sentenced In LI 'Boiler Room' Fraud Scheme That Cost Elderly Victims Millions It followed his March 2020 jury conviction on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering. Federal prosecut…
Former Broker Sentenced In LI 'Boiler Room' Fraud Scheme That Cost Elderly Victims Millions Former Broker Sentenced In LI 'Boiler Room' Fraud Scheme That Cost Elderly Victims Millions
Former Broker Sentenced In LI 'Boiler Room' Fraud Scheme That Cost Elderly Victims Millions A former stockbroker is heading to federal prison for his role in a massive fraud scheme based on Long Island that swindled elderly victims out of millions of dollars. Jeffrey Chartier, age 59, of Florida, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars in federal court in Central Islip Thursday, Dec. 1. It followed his March 2020 jury conviction on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and money laundering. Federal prosecutors said between 2014 and 2016, Chartier and others worked with a Melville-based “boiler room” to artificially infla…
Bowie Man Convicted For Recruiting Investors For $28M Ponzi Scheme Bowie Man Convicted For Recruiting Investors For $28M Ponzi Scheme
Bowie Man Convicted For Recruiting Investors For $28M Ponzi Scheme A Maryland man has been convicted of operating a $28 million Ponzi scheme that promised victims personal wealth and financial freedom, authorities announce. Arley Ray Johnson, 63, convinced victims to invest in the company "1st Million", by holding promotional events at upscale hotels and event spaces, attending church-sponsored events, intending to target investments from churchgoers, and representing themselves as religious men more interested in the financial freedom of others than personal financial gain, according to the Department of Justice. Johnson and co-defendants Dennis Mbongeni …
COVID-19: CEO From Greenwich Indicted For $116 Test Scam COVID-19: CEO From Greenwich Indicted For $116 Test Scam
Covid-19: CEO From Greenwich Indicted For $116 Test Scam The former CEO of a New York-based health care company from Fairfield County was charged with orchestrating a COVID-19 rapid-test investment scam that fleeced victims of $116 million, federal authorities said. Marc Schessel, age 62, of Greenwich, had his company, SCWorx Corps, make bogus public claims that it was buying and selling at least 48 million COVID-19 test kits that it never received, an indictment returned in US District Court in Newark alleges. "The claims share price surged, rising by over 400 percent from approximately $2.25 per share to an intraday high of $14.88. per share," …
$116M COVID Test Scam: Federal Grand Jury In NJ Indicts Ex-NYC Health Care Company CEO From CT $116M COVID Test Scam: Federal Grand Jury In NJ Indicts Ex-NYC Health Care Company CEO From CT
$116M COVID Test Scam: Federal Grand Jury In NJ Indicts Ex-nyc Health Care Company CEO From CT The former CEO of a New York-based health care company was charged with orchestrating a coronavirus rapid-test investment scam that fleeced victims of $116 million, federal authorities said. Marc Schessel, 62, of Greenwich, CT, had his company, SCWorx Corps, make bogus public claims that it was buying and selling at least 48 million COVID test kits that it never received, an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Newark alleges. "The claims share price surged, rising by over 400 percent from approximately $2.25 per share to an intraday high of $14.88. per share," according to a relea…
Nanuet Man Sentenced For Ponzi-Like Fraud Scheme Nanuet Man Sentenced For Ponzi-Like Fraud Scheme
Nanuet Man Sentenced For Ponzi-Like Fraud Scheme A Hudson Valley man will spend years behind bars after being busted for operating a multi-million dollar investment club that was actually a Ponzi scheme targeting a Haitian community, federal authorities announced. Rockland County resident Ruless Pierre, age 52, of Nanuet, has been sentenced to 84 months in prison in connection to a Ponzi-like securities fraud scheme that targeted his own community in the region. Specifically, Pierre was convicted of securities fraud, wire fraud, and structuring offenses by a jury in May 2021. US Attorney Damian Williams said that between 2016 and 2019, P…
Jersey Shore Financial Advisors Fined $800K, Licenses Revoked: AG Jersey Shore Financial Advisors Fined $800K, Licenses Revoked: AG
Jersey Shore Financial Advisors Fined $800K, Licenses Revoked: AG A Monmouth County investment firm has been fined $800,000 for hiring an unregistered financial advisor, New Jersey authorities said. The advisor had been barred from the securities industry, according to Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. The New Jersey Bureau of Securities took further action against the Atlantic Highlands investment firm by revoking its registrations, Plotkin said. Acting Bureau Chief Amy G. Kopleton found that Steven Gluckstein and his advisory firm, Seaview Global Advisors LLC, employed Anthony Calascione from approximately 2017 through 2021, and allowed him t…
Billion-Dollar Stock Fraud: Indicted Bergen County Businessman Freed On $100M Bond Billion-Dollar Stock Fraud: Indicted Bergen County Businessman Freed On $100M Bond
Billion-Dollar Stock Fraud: Indicted Bergen County Businessman Freed On $100M Bond A Bergen County businessman was arrested by federal agents on charges of orchestrating a massive market manipulation scheme that caused one of the biggest Wall Street trading collapses in history. Sung Kook “Bill” Hwang put the entire financial system at risk by conspiring with his former chief financial officer to boost profits for his Archegos Capital Management by lying to banks to inflate the stock prices of publicly traded companies, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday, April 27. The fraud scheme ballooned Hwang’s personal fortune from $1.5 billion to more than $35 billion in a singl…
Bergen County's Bill Hwang Arrested By Feds In Billion-Dollar Stock Manipulation Scheme Bergen County's Bill Hwang Arrested By Feds In Billion-Dollar Stock Manipulation Scheme
Bergen County's Bill Hwang Arrested By Feds In Billion-Dollar Stock Manipulation Scheme Four people including a Bergen County resident have been arrested and charged for their alleged roles in the multi-billion dollar collapse of Archegos Capital Management, federal officials said. The firm’s former CFO, Long Island resident Patrick Halligan, age 45, of Syosset, and New Jersey resident of Bill Hwang of Tenafly, NJ — a Korean investor on Wall Street — have been arrested in connection with a racketeering scheme to manipulate the prices of publicly traded securities and to defraud global investment banks, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said.…
Syosset Man Charged In Connection With Multi-Billion Dollar Scheme Syosset Man Charged In Connection With Multi-Billion Dollar Scheme
Syosset Man Charged In Connection With Multi-Billion Dollar Scheme Federal officials announced that four have been arrested and charged for their alleged roles in the multi-billion dollar collapse of Archegos Capital Management. US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said that the firm’s former CFO, Long Island resident Patrick Halligan, age 45, of Syosset, and New Jersey resident of Bill Hwang of Tenafly in Bergen County, have been arrested in connection to what Williams said was a racketeering scheme to manipulate the prices of publicly traded securities and to defraud global investment banks. Also charged, according to the De…
NJ FEDS: Miracle-Aspirin Investment Scam Sends Long Island Man To Prison For 4½ Years NJ FEDS: Miracle-Aspirin Investment Scam Sends Long Island Man To Prison For 4½ Years
NJ Feds: Miracle-Aspirin Investment Scam Sends Long Island Man To Prison For 4½ Years A Long Island man must spend the next 4½ years in prison for scamming investors out of $3.5 million through what he claimed was a revolutionary new aspirin, federal authorities in New Jersey said. Donald A. Milne III, a 57-year-old repeat offender from Massapequa, defrauded more than 70 victims from throughout the country, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. All thought they'd invested in what he touted as a “fast-acting form of powdered aspirin that could instantly stop heart attacks and strokes," Sellinger said. Milne used the money instead for a Caribbean vacation, boating expe…
$150M BANK FRAUD: Teaneck Landlord Gets 8 Years, No Parole $150M BANK FRAUD: Teaneck Landlord Gets 8 Years, No Parole
$150M Bank Fraud: Teaneck Landlord Gets 8 Years, No Parole A Teaneck landlord must spend the next eight years in federal prison -- without parole -- for orchestrating a $150 million bank and securities fraud scheme. Seth Levine, 53, was the founding partner, owner, and managing member of Norse Holdings, the parent company to more than 70 subsidiaries, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. Each of the subsidiary companies owned one or more multifamily buildings, mostly in New Jersey, he said. Beginning in 2009, Levine directed a scheme for nearly a decade to fraudulently refinance the multifamily properties by lying on refinancing appli…
$1.5M Cosmetics Company Scam Sends Englewood Swindler To Federal Prison For 2½ Years $1.5M Cosmetics Company Scam Sends Englewood Swindler To Federal Prison For 2½ Years
$1.5M Cosmetics Company Scam Sends Englewood Swindler To Federal Prison For 2½ Years A former Englewood resident must serve nearly 2½ years in federal prison for scamming three investors out of $1.5 million. Matthew Benjamin, 54, used the victims' money for car and house rental payments, food, international travel, legal fees, technology equipment and summer camp tuition for family members, among other purposes, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Benjamin, currently of New York, told the victims that his purported company, Clear Solutions Group, had lucrative contracts to purchase closeout or excess cosmetic inventory from one company that he planned to …
Feds: Ponzi Schemer Funded House, Car, More With $6.8M From Investors In NJ, Elsewhere Feds: Ponzi Schemer Funded House, Car, More With $6.8M From Investors In NJ, Elsewhere
Feds: Ponzi Schemer Funded House, Car, More With $6.8M From Investors In NJ, Elsewhere New Jersey residents were among more than two dozen victims who lost a combined $6.8 million to a North Carolina con man running a Ponzi scheme, federal authorities charged. David Schamens, 64, of Greensboro, NC, promised annual return rates of 12% to 30% when he began soliciting investments in 2014 in Secaucus-based TradeStream Analytics LTD, as well as in other entities with names such as TD Trading LLC, TFG Trading LLC, and Tradedesk Financial Group Inc., U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. He then launched Tradestream Algo Fund, an algorithm-based trading pool that he clai…
Five NYers Nabbed For $8.4 Million Fraud, Money Laundering Scheme, Feds Says Five NYers Nabbed For $8.4 Million Fraud, Money Laundering Scheme, Feds Says
Five NYers Nabbed For $8.4 Million Fraud, Money Laundering Scheme, Feds Says Four Long Island residents are among five New Yorkers facing charges for a multi-million dollar “boiler room” fraud and money laundering scheme, federal officials announced. US Attorney Damian Williams announced that five suspects are facing a host of charges for their alleged roles in the $8.4 million scheme to defraud investors around the world and launder the proceeds from the scheme. Those charged: Lenard Booth, also known as “Trevor Nicholas,” age 68, of Brooklyn; Michael D’Urso, age 54, of Glen Cove; Alyssa D’Urso, age 28, of Glen Cove; Jay Garnock, age 75, of Glen Cove; Antonella…
Ex-CEO From Region Sentenced For $58 Million Fraud Ex-CEO From Region Sentenced For $58 Million Fraud
Ex-ceo From Region Sentenced For $58 Million Fraud The founder and former chief executive officer of a private equity investment firm in the region will be sent to prison in connection with a securities scheme in which federal authorities say he fraudulently induced hundreds of individuals to invest a total of approximately $58 million in two real estate funds. Fairfield County resident Eric Malley, age 51, of New Canaan was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday, Dec. 2. In addition to the prison term, Malley was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $33,249,822.12 and …