Articles Tagged with boiler room

On February 15, 2024, the GWG Wind Down Trust filed a status report with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas for the quarter ending December 31, 2023. Although the status report did not include an updated financial statement, there are several key takeaways:

  • The GWG Wind Down Trust has sold two of its three tangible assets for a total of approximately $10.58 million.
  • The sale of its life insurance policy portfolio generated $10 million in cash.

An elderly couple in their upper 80s filed a FINRA arbitration claim against David Lerner Associates, Inc. (“David Lerner Associates”) to recover losses and damages of up to $1 million. The couple, represented by securities arbitration law firm Iorio Altamirano LLP, alleges that David Lerner Associates recommended an unsuitable investment strategy to invest and concentrate a significant portion of their retirement savings and net worth into risky and high-commission energy-sector securities that were proprietary to David Lerner Associates, Inc.: (1) Energy 11, L.P. (“Energy 11”); (2) Energy Resources 12, L.P. (“Energy 12”); and the Spirit of America  Energy Fund (“SOAEX”).

The arbitration claim also alleges that David Lerner Associates and its broker, Robert Rasbach, misrepresented and omitted material information about the investment strategy and the energy investments, including:

  • That investing in Energy 11 and Energy 12 involved a “high degree of risk” and was only appropriate for investors willing and able to assume the risk of a “speculative, illiquid, and long-term investment.”

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Jeffrey Lash, a former executive of GPB Capital Holdings, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in federal court in Brooklyn, NY.

In 2021, a federal grand jury brought criminal charges against Lash, David Gentile (founder and owner of GPB Capital), and a third individual, Jeffry Schneider. The charges are related to their management of the company, which has been described as a “Ponzi-like scheme.” In February 2021, the SEC also charged GPB Capital, Ascendant Capital, and Ascendant Alternative Strategies with running a Ponzi-like scheme that raised roughly $1.7 billion from over 17,000 investors, many of whom were retirees.

The criminal complaint alleged that Mr. Gentile, Mr. Lash, and Mr. Schneider used new money invested by retail investors to cover the promised 8% returns to prior investors, yet failed to disclose the source of the distributions to investors.

On April 21, 2023, United States Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur approved GWG’s Disclosure Statement that will be sent to creditors to vote on GWG’s Chapter 11 Plan (the “Plan”). The approval of the Disclosure Statement comes one year and one day after GWG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

The Plan will now be sent to creditors, including L Bondholders, to accept or reject the Plan. GWG’s Plan is essentially an “orderly” liquidation. If the Plan is accepted, GWG will be liquidated in accordance with the terms of the Plan. If the Plan is rejected, GWG will likely be liquidated in accordance with Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Either way, GWG will be liquidated and will not continue as a business. Creditors will need to decide which path of liquidation will be more favorable to them.

We believe that it is highly unlikely that L Bondholders will obtain a quick and full recovery through either the Chapter 11 Plan or a Chapter 7 liquidation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged former Aegis Capital Corp. broker Surage Kamal Roshan Perera and his firm, Janues Capital Incorporated, with fraud and obtaining emergency relief in court, including a temporary restraining order and an asset freeze. The SEC alleges that from February 2022 until March 2023, the Bellrose, NY broker defrauded at least one investor out of millions of dollars by lying about investment opportunities and strategies concerning training losses and using funds received from others to give the victim the promised returns in a Ponzi-like scheme. According to his public disclosure report, Mr. Perera was registered as an investment broker with Aegis Capital Corp until September 12, 2022.

In a separate action, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York filed criminal charges against Mr. Perera. He was arrested on Monday, March 27, 2023, and arraigned on a 16-count indictment charging him with securities fraud, investment advisor fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, in connection with a scheme to induce an investor to purchase stock in companies that traded on the NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Customers of Mr. Perera or Aegis Capital Corp. who have suffered financial losses as a result of Mr. Perera’s negligence or misconduct can contact New York securities arbitration law firm Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential consultation and review of their legal rights.

On January 30, 2023, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published a Risk Alert including its observations from Broker-Dealer Examinations Related to Regulation Best Interest (“Reg BI”).  The risk alert highlights deficiencies observed during regulatory examinations, as well as weak practices by broker-dealers that could result in deficiencies.

Reg BI requires that brokerage firms and brokers act in the best interest of a retail customer at the time of a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a security or investment strategy.  The broker-dealer and broker must place their retail customers’ interest ahead of their own financial interest.  The standard of care also applies to recommendations of account types.

Reg BI requires compliance with four component obligations:

Iorio Altamirano LLP, a securities arbitration law firm based in New York, NY, is investigating potential lawsuits and securities arbitration claims against Aegis Capital Corp. for its sale of L Bonds issued by GWG Holdings, Inc. (GWGH).  Upon information and belief, Aegis Capital Corp. was a part of Emerson Equity LLC’s network of broker-dealers who sold the speculative, high-risk, and illiquid GWG L Bonds.  Iorio Altamirano LLP has spoken to several retail investors who purchased GWG L Bonds through the recommendation of brokers registered with Aegis Capital Corp.

On April 20, 2022, GWG Holdings, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, allowing GWG Holdings to propose a reorganization plan.  On May 17, 2022, the Nasdaq Stock Market announced that it would delist the common stock of GWG Holdings, Inc.

Many GWG L Bond investors, who have not received interest or maturity payments since January 2022, are skeptical that they will see a return of their invested capital. Investment News has reported that one anonymous GWG L bond investor estimates that the GWG L Bonds may now be worth 20 to 30 cents on the dollar.

On November 8, 2021, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and Aegis Capital Corp. (“Aegis Capital”) entered into Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent No. 2016051704305 (the “AWC”).  After conducting an investigation, FINRA alleged in the AWC that from July 2014 through December 2018, Aegis Capital failed to establish, maintain, and enforce a supervisory system, including written supervisory procedures (WSPs), reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the suitability requirements of FINRA Rule 2111 as it pertains to excessive trading. As a result, Aegis Capital failed to identify trading in hundreds of customer accounts that were potentially excessive and unsuitable, including trading conducted by eight Aegis Capital registered representatives in the firm’s Melville and Wall Street branches whose trading in the accounts of 31 firm customers resulted in an average annualized cost-to-equity ratio (or break-even point) of 71.6%, an average annualized turnover rate of 34.9, combined customer costs (including commissions, markups or markdowns, margin interest, and fees) of more than $2.9 million, and cumulative losses of $4.6 million.

Additionally, the FINRA AWC alleged from July 2014 to June 2019, Aegis Capital failed to establish, maintain, and enforce a supervisory system, including WSPs, reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the suitability requirements of FINRA Rule 2111 when selling leveraged, inverse, and inverse-leveraged Exchange-Traded Funds (Non-Traditional ETFs) to retail customers. As a result, Aegis Capital failed to identify customers who purchased and held Non-Traditional ETFs for extended periods of time or whose purchase was inconsistent with their recorded investment objective, risk tolerance, or finances.

Customers of Aegis Capital, including customers that have been notified that they may be receiving restitution, should consult with a securities arbitration law firm.  If you or a loved one were a customer of Aegis Capital, contact  New York securities arbitration law firm Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential consultation and review of your legal rights.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has suspended stockbroker Michael May from the securities industry.  Mr. May consented to the suspension after FINRA alleged that between June 2017 and May 2018, while associated with Joseph Stone Capital L.L.C. (“Joseph Stone Capital”), Mr. May excessively and unsuitable traded a customer’s account, in violation of FINRA Rules 2111 and 2010.   As part of the agreement, Mr. May also agreed to pay $10,349 in restitution and a fine of $5,000.

Mr. May was registered as a broker with Joseph Stone Capital L.L.C. from July 2015 to June 2020 and again from March 2021 to October 2021.   He is currently registered with VCS Venture Securities in New York, NY.

Iorio Altamirano LLP is investigating potential legal claims on behalf of customers of Michael May and Joseph Stone Capital related to investment recommendations and account activity made by Mr. May.

According to Mr. Yurovsky’s public disclosure report, stockbroker Lenny Yurovsky received a Wells Notice from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) on or about September 29, 2021, which made a preliminary determination to recommend that disciplinary action be brought against Mr. Yurovsky.  In the Wells Notice, FINRA alleged willful violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and FINRA Rules 2020 and 2010 for churning customer accounts. In addition, FINRA alleged that Mr. Yurovsky excessively traded customers’ accounts, made trades on margin without customer authorization, and made unsuitable recommendations to trade on margin.

Mr. Yurovsky has been registered as a broker with Joseph Stone Capital L.L.C. in Mineola, New York, since April 2016.

Iorio Altamirano LLP is investigating potential legal claims on behalf of customers of Lenny Yurovsky and Joseph Stone Capital related to investment recommendations and account activity made by Mr. Yurovsky.

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