FROM: U.S. SECRUITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the court approval of settlements reached with the New York-based hedge fund advisory firm Sigma Capital Management in which Sigma Capital and two affiliates agreed to pay nearly $14 million to settle charges that the firm engaged in insider trading based on nonpublic information obtained through one of its analysts about the quarterly earnings of Dell and Nvidia Corporation. The settlements were approved by the Honorable Harold Baer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 28, 2013.
The SEC’s case, borne out of its ongoing investigation into expert networks and the trading activities of hedge funds, began last year with charges against several hedge fund managers and analysts including Jon Horvath, a former analyst at Sigma Capital. Horvath agreed to a settlement in March 2013 in which he admitted liability.
In a complaint filed on March 15, 2013 along with the proposed settlements, the SEC charged Sigma Capital in the insider trading scheme and named two affiliated hedge funds - Sigma Capital Associates and S.A.C. Select Fund - as relief defendants that unjustly benefited from Sigma Capital’s violations. S.A.C. Select Fund is affiliated with S.A.C. Capital Advisors.
The SEC’s complaint alleged that Horvath provided Sigma Capital portfolio managers with nonpublic details about quarterly earnings at Dell and Nvidia after he learned them through a group of hedge fund analysts with whom he regularly communicated. Based on the confidential information, Sigma Capital traded Dell and Nvidia securities in advance of earnings announcements in 2008 and 2009 for $6.425 million in gains for its hedge fund affiliates.
Without admitting or denying the charges, Sigma Capital agreed to pay disgorgement of $6.425 million plus prejudgment interest of $1,094,161.92 and a penalty of $6.425 million. Sigma Capital is also permanently enjoined from future violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws.
According to the SEC’s complaint, the key inside information that Horvath obtained about upcoming earnings announcements by Dell and Nvidia often differed significantly from the predictions of market analysts, who only had access to publicly available information. Based on this inside information, Sigma Capital traded Dell and Nvidia securities in advance of four quarterly earnings announcements and reaped more than $5.2 million for its hedge fund Sigma Capital Associates. Horvath’s inside information also enabled S.A.C. Select Fund to execute trades and avoid losses of more than $1 million. The SEC’s complaint charged Sigma Capital with violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act, and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5.
Showing posts with label U.S. SECRUITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. SECRUITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
HEDGE FUND MANAGER AND COMPANY PAY FINE FOR "...PATTERN OF DECEPTIVE CONDUCT..."
FROM: U.S. SECRUITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Court Orders New York-Based Hedge Fund Manager and Firm to Pay Nearly $5 Million in Disgorgement and Penalties
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that, on January 3, 2013, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered final judgments against hedge fund manager Chetan Kapur and his firm, ThinkStrategy Capital Management (ThinkStrategy), ordering them to jointly and severally pay disgorgement of $3,988,196.59 and civil penalties in the amount of $1,000,000.
The final judgments stem from a partially-settled civil injunctive action filed by the Commission on November 10, 2011. The SEC’s complaint alleged that over nearly seven years, Kapur and ThinkStrategy engaged in a pattern of deceptive conduct designed to bolster their track record, size, and credentials. In particular, Kapur and ThinkStrategy materially overstated the performance of their ThinkStrategy Capital Fund, giving investors the false impression that the fund’s returns were consistently positive and minimally volatile. The complaint also alleged that Kapur and ThinkStrategy repeatedly inflated the firm’s assets, exaggerated the firm’s longevity and performance history, and misrepresented the size and credentials of ThinkStrategy’s management team.
With respect to a second hedge fund they managed, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund, the complaint alleged that Kapur and ThinkStrategy misstated the scope and quality of due diligence checks on certain managers and funds selected for inclusion in the fund-of-funds’ portfolio. As a result, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund made investments in certain hedge funds that were later revealed to be Ponzi schemes or other serious frauds, including Bayou Superfund, Valhalla/Victory Funds, and Finvest Primer Fund.
The Commission charged Kapur and ThinkStrategy with violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the Commission’s complaint, Kapur and ThinkStrategy consented to the entry of November 18, 2011 judgments permanently enjoining them from violating the above provisions. Kapur also consented to a November 30, 2011 SEC order permanently barring him from association with any investment adviser, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, municipal advisor, transfer agent, or nationally recognized statistical rating organization.
Court Orders New York-Based Hedge Fund Manager and Firm to Pay Nearly $5 Million in Disgorgement and Penalties
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that, on January 3, 2013, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered final judgments against hedge fund manager Chetan Kapur and his firm, ThinkStrategy Capital Management (ThinkStrategy), ordering them to jointly and severally pay disgorgement of $3,988,196.59 and civil penalties in the amount of $1,000,000.
The final judgments stem from a partially-settled civil injunctive action filed by the Commission on November 10, 2011. The SEC’s complaint alleged that over nearly seven years, Kapur and ThinkStrategy engaged in a pattern of deceptive conduct designed to bolster their track record, size, and credentials. In particular, Kapur and ThinkStrategy materially overstated the performance of their ThinkStrategy Capital Fund, giving investors the false impression that the fund’s returns were consistently positive and minimally volatile. The complaint also alleged that Kapur and ThinkStrategy repeatedly inflated the firm’s assets, exaggerated the firm’s longevity and performance history, and misrepresented the size and credentials of ThinkStrategy’s management team.
With respect to a second hedge fund they managed, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund, the complaint alleged that Kapur and ThinkStrategy misstated the scope and quality of due diligence checks on certain managers and funds selected for inclusion in the fund-of-funds’ portfolio. As a result, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund made investments in certain hedge funds that were later revealed to be Ponzi schemes or other serious frauds, including Bayou Superfund, Valhalla/Victory Funds, and Finvest Primer Fund.
The Commission charged Kapur and ThinkStrategy with violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the Commission’s complaint, Kapur and ThinkStrategy consented to the entry of November 18, 2011 judgments permanently enjoining them from violating the above provisions. Kapur also consented to a November 30, 2011 SEC order permanently barring him from association with any investment adviser, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, municipal advisor, transfer agent, or nationally recognized statistical rating organization.
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