Securities Industry Commentator by Bill Singer Esq

September 29, 2020


List Brokerage Firm Pleads Guilty To Facilitating Elder Fraud Schemes / Corporate Guilty Plea Follows Guilty Plea and Indictment of Executives (DOJ Release)


Owner of Bitcoin Exchange Convicted of Racketeering Conspiracy for Laundering Millions of Dollars in International Cyber Fraud Scheme (DOJ Release)


SEC Charges Amazon Finance Manager and Family With Insider Trading (SEC Release)


SEC Increases Whistleblower Award Above CRS Recommendation

SEC Order Determining Whistleblower Award Claim


Fiat Chrysler Agrees to Pay $9.5 Million Penalty for Disclosure Violations (SEC Release)


SEC Charges Recidivist Securities Law Violator with Fraud Against Advisory Clients (SEC Release)


SEC Charges Companies, Former Executives as Part of Risk-Based Initiative / Interface and Two Former Executives Charged With Accounting and Disclosure Violations; Fulton Financial Corporation Charged With Disclosure Violations (SEC Release)


SEC Charges Georgia Investment Adviser Firm and Its Owner and Founder


Regulation ATS for ATSs that Trade U.S. Government Securities, NMS Stock, and Other Securities; Regulation SCI for ATSs that Trade U.S. Treasury Securities and Agency Securities; and Electronic Corporate Bond and Municipal Securities Markets (SEC Rule Proposal)


CFTC Orders New York Firm and its Trader to Pay $585,000 for Spoofing (CFTC Release)


CFTC Charges Georgia Man with Fraudulent Scheme to Profit from COVID-19 (CFTC Release)


CFTC Orders Three Citibank Affiliates to Pay $4.5 Million for Supervision Failures That Led to Deletion of Subpoenaed Audio Recordings (CFTC Release)


CFTC Charges Foreign Trading Platform with Offering Illegal Leveraged Transactions in Ether, Litecoin, and Bitcoin (CFTC Release)


FINRA Imposes Fine and Suspension for Rep's Use of Customers' Nonpublic Personal Information

In the Matter of Michael R. Jeppson, Respondent (FINRA AWC)


FINRA Imposes Fine and Suspension for Rep's Use of NSF Checks

In the Matter of Joshua K. Staudinger, Respondent (FINRA AWC)



Inside the JPMorgan Trading Desk the U.S. Called a Crime Ring / The U.S. says the precious metals desk at JPMorgan was a racketeering operation. Now the bank is poised to pay a record penalty for spoofing. Here's a look behind eight years of alleged conspiracy (Bloomberg by Tom Schoenberg)


Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change to Amend the Codes of Arbitration Procedure Relating to Requests to Expunge Customer Dispute Information, Including Creating a Special Arbitrator Roster to Decide Certain Expungement Requests (SEC Filing)


Financial Planner Sentenced To Federal Prison For Investment Fraud And Failure To File Tax Returns (DOJ Release)


Mount Laurel, NJ Man Arrested and Charged With Almost 30 Counts of Fraud in Connection with Two Business Schemes (DOJ Release)


Georgia Man Sentenced to Prison for Running Ponzi Scheme (DOJ Release)


Head Of Investment Management Firm Sentenced To 85 Months In Prison In Connection With $18 Million Pre-IPO Securities Fraud Scheme (DOJ Release)


In the Matter of Mark Feathers (SEC ALJ Initial Decision)


SEC Charges Film Producer, Rapper, and Others for Participation in Two Fraudulent ICOs (SEC Release)


SEC Charges Top Executive of California Microcap Company for Misleading Claims Concerning COVID-19 Test and Financial Statements (SEC Release)


SEC Charges Former Mining Executive with Making False Statements (SEC Release)


SEC Issues Two Whistleblower Awards for High-Quality Information Regarding Overseas Conduct (SEC Release)


June Bug vs. Hurricane:* Whistleblowers Fight Tremendous Odds and Deserve Better (SEC Statement by Commissioner Allison Herren Lee)