Investment Category Archives — Page 2 of 9 — Securities Fraud Lawyers Blog Published by Securities Fraud Attorneys

Robinhood Must Defend Against Market Manipulation Claims

Published on: August 15, 2022 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Per a federal court ruling on August 11, 2022, Robinhood Markets Inc, the app-based online stock trading platform, must face market manipulation claims brought by a class of its investors. [1]

The ruling by Judge Cecilia Altonaga of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida denied Robinhood’s motion to dismiss shareholder allegations of market manipulation. The allegations stem from Robinhood’s actions in the wake of the meme stock frenzy of early 2021. [1] In the lawsuit, Robinhood shareholders allege that Robinhood engaged in tactics aimed at artificially lowering the prices of nine stocks at the center of the frenzy. These stocks included GameStop, Bed Bath & Beyond, and AMC. [1]

The meme stock frenzy took place in January 2021 when social media users stirred extraordinary investment interest in several unexpected stocks. The outpour of interest in these stocks was not founded on each stock’s actual performance, but rather on the prospect of triggering a short squeeze on the stocks.

SEC Chairman Gensler Advocates for Cryptocurrency Market Regulation

Published on: April 13, 2022 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Cryptocurrency proponents tout the technology’s potentially “transformative” nature and its position as an arguably more stable store of value when compared with fiat money. [1] Yet SEC Chairman Gary Gensler cautioned crypto investors against an overly rosy view of the technology during a speech at the Penn Law Capital Markets Association Annual Conference this week. Instead, Gensler advocated for investor caution, along with a much broader regulatory and enforcement role for the SEC in cryptocurrency markets. [2]

Before sharing his view of the SEC’s role in crypto markets, Chairman Gensler first compared the technology to that of the dotcom bubble in 2000 and subprime lenders leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. His message: the flurry of attention on crypto and related innovations does little to vouch for its long-term viability or success. Instead, as was borne out in 2000 and again in 2008, cryptocurrency could indeed be a technology destined for failure.

The SEC’s role then, in Gensler’s view, is to protect investors from the potential financial blowback of such a failure. While Gensler lauded the spirit of entrepreneurship common in the United States, he also argued that the SEC should approach crypto regulation in a “technology neutral” way. In so doing, the SEC could carry out their mission to protect investors, facilitate capital formation, and maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, while still allowing crypto markets to flourish.

Boiler Room Scheme Defrauds Victims of More Than $8.4 Million

Published on: February 21, 2022 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

Early this month, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the indictment of five defendants, each of whom have been charged in connection with an $8.4 million “boiler room” and money laundering scheme. [1] In addition to the DOJ’s criminal indictment of the group, the Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a civil case seeking injunctions and civil penalties. [2]

“Boiler room” operations are fraudulent schemes in which high-pressure, coercive sales tactics are used to induce clients into purchasing stocks or other investments. [3] Often, these operations consist of groups of salespeople working from offices in foreign countries who cold-call clients in an attempt to defraud them. [3] The salespeople involved in boiler room schemes are rarely licensed brokers, and the stocks they purport to sell may not exist at all. [3]

In the instant case, the DOJ alleges that the defendants conspired to commit securities fraud when they engaged in a boiler room scheme involving fake investment firms and shell companies used to mislead investors. [1] The alleged scheme operated from approximately June 2019 until August 2021, and defrauded English-speaking investors across the globe of more than $8 million. [4]

Insider Trading in Congress: Ethically Questionable, or Acceptable?

Published on: January 31, 2022 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

When it comes to insider trading, corporate executives are often the first offenders that come to mind. Recently, however, public attention has shifted toward the investing activity of members of Congress as potential instances of illegal insider trading.

Members of Congress are inherently privy to more information about in-process legislation, forthcoming policy shifts, and potential economic impacts than the average market participant. [1] Such “insider” knowledge is a direct result of the duties entailed in a lawmaker’s job, and some argue this insider position presents an unmistakable conflict of interest. [1]

Congress previously sought to address this conflict of interest with its passage of the Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge (“STOCK”) in April 2012. [2] At its most distilled, the STOCK Act explicitly made congressional insider trading illegal, and put in place disclosure requirements for each individual stock trade made by a member of Congress. [2] Prior to the passage of this law, insider trading – that is, trading by members of Congress based on material, nonpublic information – had been perfectly legal. [2]

As Private Market Booms, SEC Considers Private Firm Reporting Requirements

Published on: January 17, 2022 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

While the dust settles on the recent trial of Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO of Silicon Valley startup Theranos, attention is building around the Securities and Exchange Commission’s current and future role in regulating private firms.

Under existing federal law, private firms with less than 2,000 shareholders are not required to register with the SEC nor provide routine disclosures, unlike their public counterparts. [1]

While exemption from such regulatory requirements may provide private startup companies with the freedom to develop their business unimpeded by government, thus encouraging valuable innovation, the rapid growth of the private capital market has experts questioning whether some degree of SEC oversight may be warranted.

A Look Back at SEC Enforcement Actions in Fiscal Year 2021

Published on: December 27, 2021 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

As 2021 draws to a close, it is a fitting time to revisit some of the main enforcement actions taken by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through fiscal year (FY) 2021, which ended on September 30^th, 2021.

In total, the number of new enforcement actions filed by the SEC in FY 2021 increased by 7% over the previous year, with 434 new enforcement actions. While the total number of enforcement actions – including new actions along with other “follow-on” or open proceedings – decreased slightly year over year in FY 2021, the SEC remained committed to its role as “cop on the beat for America’s securities laws,” as described by Chair Gary Gensler. [1] The SEC maintained a sharp focus on protecting the integrity of the country’s capital markets through enforcement actions against bad actors even in the face of the persisting COVID-19 pandemic persisted.

In announcing its progress on enforcement actions during FY 2021, the SEC concentrated on several key priority areas. Some of these priority areas, per a recent SEC Press Release, included “holding individuals accountable,” “ensuring gatekeepers live up to their obligations,” “rooting out misconduct in crypto,” “policing financial fraud and issuer disclosure,” “cracking down on insider trading and market manipulation,” and “swiftly acting to protect investors.” [1]

Tracing the Economic Impacts of the Pandemic: A Rise in Margin Investing

Published on: December 20, 2021 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

As the world buckles in and adjusts itself to the newest wave of COVID-19, global economies appear to be looking to do just the same. In fact, central banks across the globe are now pivoting away from economy-stimulating monetary policies implemented at the start of the pandemic and toward tighter policies with higher interest rates. [1]

At the heart of the decision to pivot in this manner has been a focus on steadily rising inflation, which some policymakers fear the pandemic’s longevity will only amplify. [1] This fear stems from the fact that in large part, populations are learning to coexist with the virus.

As time passes and each new wave appears, is studied, and spreads toward dominance, people become generally better equipped to deal with the pandemic’s impacts – economic and otherwise. Whether because of rising vaccination rates or better overall caution and awareness, many now agree that the largest current threat to the economy is inflation rather than COVID-19. [1]

SEC Alerts Public of Ongoing Government Impersonation Scheme

Published on: November 22, 2021 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

While investors should always be alert and even skeptical of unsolicited communications about their investments, an SEC investor alert from November 19, 2021, further highlights how important this vigilance is.

According to the alert provided by the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (“OIEA”), the SEC has received reports of several individuals receiving communications from people posing as SEC personnel. Whether these communications come in the form of emails, phone calls, or letters, the SEC warns investors that they are “in no way connected to the SEC.” [1]

The fraudulent phone and voicemail messages are particularly misleading because they come from phone numbers that appear to be connected to the SEC. [1] The communications have targeted victims by raising investment-related concerns, such as “suspicious activity” in both checking and cryptocurrency accounts.[1]

Recent SEC Orders Signal Hard Stance on Protecting Investor Data from Cyber Attacks

Published on: October 18, 2021 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

In today’s ever-interconnected society, protecting the stability and security of cyber infrastructure and the personal information stored therein has never been of greater importance. Recognizing this need, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has taken marked steps to protect the security of investor records and information that broker-dealer firms possess.

In fact, the SEC has recently begun sanctioning the very victims of cyberattacks – investment firms that have fallen prey to such attacks – citing their deficient cybersecurity procedures as partly to blame for the unauthorized third-party access to investor’s private information. [1]

On August 30, 2021, the SEC released three orders sanctioning eight firms for their failures in protecting their customers’ personally identifiable information due to inadequate cybersecurity policies and procedures. These orders each proceeded as violations of Rule 30(a) of Regulation S-P, colloquially known as the “Safeguards Rule.” [2]

Affinity Fraud Charges Filed Against Miami Payday Lender – How to Protect Your Investments

Published on: October 4, 2021 | by Savage Villoch Law, PLLC

On September 27^th, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced affinity fraud charges against a Miami payday lender, Sky Group USA LLC (“Sky Group”), and its CEO, Efrain Betancourt. [1] The SEC’s complaint lists eight violations of federal securities law centering on allegations of material misrepresentations and omissions regarding Sky Group’s use of investor funds, its profitability, and the safety and security of the promissory notes it sold. [2]

According to the SEC’s complaint, Sky Group ran its fraudulent scheme from at least January 2016 through March 2020. During this time, Sky Group raised approximately $66 million through the sale of promissory notes while representing itself as a payday lender soliciting investors to fund its business. [2]

In particular, Sky Group targeted Venezuelan-American investors in South Florida, who in turn often spread information about the investment opportunity by word-of-mouth. Betancourt specifically pitched Sky Group investments as “a great opportunity for members of the Venezuelan immigrant community to generate investment income,” touting its supposed $70 million loan portfolio as evidence of the investment’s safety.