The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Virginia-based Boon.Tech and its chief executive officer Rajesh Pavithran for fraud and registration violations in connection with a $5 million initial coin offering (ICO) of digital asset securities. According to the SEC’s order, from November 2017 to January 2018, Boon.Tech and […]
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Another Whistleblower Award – $18 Million to Whistleblower
The SEC awarded more than $18 million to a whistleblower whose significant information prompted an examination that resulted in an important enforcement action. The SEC has awarded over $448 million to 81 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily […]
Another SEC Whistleblower Award – $2 Million.
A flurry of whistleblower awards are coming out of the SEC. Yesterday it announced an award of approximately $2 million to a whistleblower who, according to the Commission “provided vital information and assistance that substantially contributed to an ongoing investigation. The whistleblower’s information would have been difficult for the agency […]
IRS Issues Warning About Coronavirus-Related Scams
The IRS and its Criminal Investigation Division have seen a wave of new and evolving phishing schemes against taxpayers. In most cases, the IRS will deposit economic impact payments into the direct deposit account taxpayers previously provided on tax returns. Those taxpayers who have previously filed but not provided direct […]
SEC Provides Regulatory Relief to Market Participants Affected by COVID-19
The SEC is providing additional temporary regulatory relief to market participants in response to the effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The actions announced today involve (1) parties needing to gain access to make filings on the EDGAR system, (2) certain company filing obligations under Regulation A and Regulation […]
FINRA Postpones All Arbitrations
FINRA has decided to administratively postpone all in-person arbitration and mediation proceedings scheduled through May 1, 2020. If you have an in-person hearing or mediation session that is postponed as a result of this decision, you will be contacted by FINRA staff to reschedule or discuss remote scheduling options. Please […]
New SEC Whistleblower Awards
The SEC whistleblower program has generated significant awards to individuals who provide original information that leads to successful SEC enforcement actions with total monetary sanctions exceeding $1 million. The program has resulted in more than $2 billion in financial penalties, and awards in excess of $300 million. The SEC just […]
$63 Million for Investors in Real Estate Investment Fraud
Robert C. Morgan, a New York residential and commercial real estate developer, and two of his entities, Morgan Mezzanine Fund Manager LLC and Morgan Acquisitions LLC, engaged in a fraudulent real estate investment scheme. As alleged, Morgan financed his real estate development projects through, among other ways, the sales of […]
Keeping Wealth in the Family
To help preserve their legacies, families increasingly turn to family offices tasked with maintaining multigenerational wealth. According to the UBS 2019 Global Family Office Report, there are 7,300 single family offices worldwide today — a number that has increased 38% since 2017. In the United States, UBS counts 3,100 family offices, […]
Can I Take My Client Information When I Leave My Firm?
When changing firms, and moving between two firms that are part of the Broker Recruiting Protocol, can the broker take client account numbers with her. We get that question a lot. Under the Protocol a broker may take only the client name, address, phone number, email address, and account title […]