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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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 30th, 2021. In total, the number of new enforcement actions filed by the SEC…
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…
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…
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…
On September 27th, 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…