Wednesday, August 20, 2014
SEC ANNOUNCES VERDICT AGAINST STOCK PUMP-AND-DUMPSTER
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Securities and Exchange Commission v. BIH Corporation, et al., Civil Action No. 2:10-CV-577-FTM-29DNF (M.D. FL)
Jury Finds Orchestrator of Microcap Stock Pump-And-Dump Scheme Liable in SEC Enforcement Case
A federal court jury in Fort Myers, Fla., returned a unanimous verdict on August 8 finding Edward W. Hayter of Brooklyn, N.Y., liable for five counts of violating the federal securities laws in connection with a scheme to pump up the stock of a microcap corporation purportedly headquartered in Fort Myers in which Hayter profited by approximately $500,000. Hayter was the lone remaining defendant in the SEC's enforcement case filed in 2010.
Evidence at the trial showed that among other things, press releases that Hayter and BIH issued in 2008 and 2009 falsely claimed BIH was purchasing a restaurant services corporation that purportedly had contracts with such major corporations as Citi Field and Applebee's Restaurants. Other evidence showed that in order to hide his involvement in the scheme, Hayter and others created a fictitious businessman named Cris Galo who was allegedly an accomplished entrepreneur running BIH. Evidence showed all of BIH's contact information traced back to Hayter and an associate in New York, with the Fort Myers office being only a mail drop. Trading records showed the false press releases contributed to BIH's stock rising more than 2,700 percent in a matter of months, allowing colleagues of Hayter to sell stock and funnel approximately $500,000 in proceeds to his own corporations.
The SEC filed its complaint against Hayter, BIH, Wayne A. Burmaster Jr. on Sept. 20, 2010, alleging that they had engaged in fraud and illegal sales of securities. The SEC also alleged securities registration violations by Christopher L. Astrom and his company Bimini Reef Real Estate Inc., Damian B. Guthrie and his company Riverview Capital Inc., and Burmaster's company North Bay South Corporation. The SEC named Baron International Inc., Beaver Creek Financial Corporation, and The Caddo Corporation as relief defendants.
According to the SEC's complaint, Burmaster and Hayter released false information about BIH's operations and business relationships, the company's stock and dividend payments, and the identity of the individuals directing BIH's affairs. The SEC alleged that as part of the scheme, Burmaster and Hayter illegally distributed BIH's stock to North Bay, Bimini Reef, and Riverview, and those entities then dumped more than $1 million of BIH's stock and divided illegally obtained sales proceeds among the defendants and relief defendants.
On Oct. 25, 2010, the Honorable John E. Steele, United States District Court Judge for the Middle District of Florida, entered judgments of permanent injunction and other relief against Astrom and Bimini Reef Real Estate as well as Guthrie and Riverview Capital, enjoining them from violating Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933. In addition to injunctive relief, the judgments order them to pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and penalties in amounts to be determined at a later date. Astrom and Guthrie are barred from participating in the offering of any penny stock. They consented to the entry of the judgments without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint.
On Sept. 26, 2012, the court entered a default judgment against BIH and North Bay South Corporation and relief defendants The Caddo Corporation and Beaver Creek Financial, ordering disgorgement with a penalty against BIH and North Bay South Corporation to be determined at a later date. On Dec. 17, 2012, the court entered a default judgment against Baron International.
On July 14, 2014, the court entered a default judgment of permanent injunction and other relief against Burmaster, enjoining him from violating Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5. In addition to injunctive relief, the judgment orders Burmaster to pay, jointly and severally, disgorgement and prejudgment interest of $1,349,158 and a penalty in an amount to be determined at a later date. Burmaster is barred from participating in the offering of any penny stock.
The SEC's investigation was conducted by Julie Russo and Timothy Galdencio, with the assistance of paralegal Raynalda Milord, under the supervision of Gary Miller and Eric Busto. The SEC's litigation was conducted by Christopher Martin and Patrick Costello, with the assistance of paralegal Lilia Gonzalez, under the supervision of Robert Levenson.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Sunday, August 17, 2014
SEC CHARGES BAHAMAS-BASED BROKERAGE WITH FRAUD
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged a Bahamas-based brokerage firm and its president for enabling a fraud that was halted when the SEC charged the hedge fund manager at the center of the scheme.
The SEC alleges that Julian R. Brown and his firm Alliance Investment Management Limited (AIM) purported to be the “custodian” for assets under the management of Nikolai Battoo. The SEC obtained a court-ordered freeze over Battoo’s assets after charging him in 2012 with defrauding investors around the world by hiding major losses while falsely boasting that their investments were performing remarkably during the financial crisis.
According to the SEC’s complaint filed today against Brown and AIM in federal court in Chicago, they misrepresented themselves to investors as Battoo’s custodian when, since at least 2009, their firm did not have custody of most of the assets listed on investor account statements. Brown and AIM allowed Battoo to create false account statements on AIM letterhead that vastly overstated the value of investors’ assets by more than $150 million. Brown and AIM then routinely provided the false account statements to auditors and others acting on behalf of Battoo’s investors.
The SEC further alleges that Brown and AIM permitted Battoo to misappropriate at least $45 million of investor funds by transferring money at Battoo’s behest from investor accounts to Battoo’s direct control. Battoo used investor funds to pay AIM and Brown more than $5 million in return for their critical assistance.
“We allege that Brown and his firm enabled Battoo’s scheme by providing investors with false assurances about who was holding their money and how much money they had in their accounts,” said Timothy Warren, associate director of the SEC’s Chicago Regional Office.
The SEC’s complaint alleges that Brown and AIM violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5, and aided and abetted Battoo’s violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws.
The SEC’s investigation, which is continuing, has been conducted by John D. Mitchell in the Chicago office, and assisted by Carlos CostaRodrigues, Marianne Olson, and Alberto Arevalo in the agency’s Office of International Affairs. The litigation will be led by Daniel J. Hayes. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Securities Commission of the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission, and Guernsey Financial Services Commission.
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