The SEC has charged a leading developer on the Ethereum blockchain with engaging in the unregistered offer and sale of certain securities through a “liquid staking” program and with failing to register as a broker in...more
A broad array of financial market participants—mutual funds, private funds, insurers, pension funds, family offices, individuals, and more—may be at risk after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) secured summary...more
The issue of when a person may be considered a “broker” or “dealer” and subject to registration as such under the federal securities laws, as distinguished from so-called finders (and therefore not subject to the panoply of...more
Garcia Case Highlights Necessity of Knowing Your Customer and Listening to Internal Fraud Watchdogs. The SEC’s recent Order against a broker-dealer (the “Firm”) imposed a $750,000 financial penalty for the Firm’s failure...more
Conn Kavanaugh attorneys Andrew R. Dennington and Julie M. Muller recently secured a significant win for their client before the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals. The First Circuit affirmed that summary judgment properly...more
A recent US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled enforcement action that found that a hedge fund acted as an unregistered “dealer” has blurred the traditional line between dealers and traders. On August 17, 2021,...more
At age 79, Paul Anka, the crooner and songwriter, is more relevant than ever. In 2020, he appeared on Season 4 of “The Masked Singer,” enjoyed a popular resurgence courtesy of TikTok, reworked his anthem “My Way” for the...more
The Commission frequently increases the rate at enforcement actions are filed in advance of the September 30th fiscal year end. That fiscal year end is followed by Congressional budget hearings where statistics are at least...more
This alert provides a brief discussion of the practice of using unregistered “finders” in the context of a private securities offering. We provide background on the process, discuss various risks and considerations, and...more
The SEC Division of Enforcement’s 2019 Annual Report, released earlier this month, shows a continuing focus on activities involving blockchain and cryptocurrency, and its website shows an increase in cases since last fiscal...more
This summary covers the last two weeks which includes news about continued enforcement actions by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) involving fraudulent digital asset transactions, dismissal of a securities...more
The SEC charged fifteen individuals with acting as unregistered brokers or aiding-and-abetting such activity in connection with Intertech Solutions, Inc.’s fraudulent and unregistered securities offerings....more
The settled order is the first SEC action charging a seller of digital tokens as an unregistered broker-dealer. On September 11, 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a settled order instituting...more
Over the past year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has ramped up its scrutiny of cryptocurrencies and other digital token offerings. On Sept. 11, 2018, the SEC escalated its crackdown when it announced a pair of...more
Last week the SEC announced it had reached an agreement with privately-held company Zenefits, and its co-founder and former CEO Parker Conrad, to settle allegations that Zenefits materially misled Series B and C investors....more
On June 30, 2017, the SEC and the U.S. Attorney brought parallel civil and criminal fraud charges against Renwick Haddow, the owner of an unregistered broker-dealer entity named InCrowd Equity Inc., and two corporate entities...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently approved a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) proposal to adopt a new regime for the regulation of electing broker-dealer firms that meet the...more
The SEC shut down a “fantasy” stock picking game for allegedly violating securities laws. Forcerank LLC ran contests via mobile phone games where players paid a fee and predicted the order in which 10 securities would perform...more
The private equity industry should carefully consider the implications of a recent Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") enforcement action. In it, the SEC, for the first time, sanctioned an SEC-registered private equity...more
A recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settlement order highlights the importance that the SEC has placed on the issue of broker-dealer registration for the private equity industry. On June 1, 2016, the SEC...more
On June 1, 2016, the SEC issued a press release that announced a Maryland-based private equity fund advisory firm and its owner have agreed to pay more than $3.1 million to settle charges that they engaged in brokerage...more
SEC Adopts Trade Acknowledgment and Verification Rules for Security-Based Swap Transactions - On June 8, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission publicized the implementation of "rules that will establish timely and...more
On June 1, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") accepted a settlement offer from a registered investment adviser of private equity funds, and its founder, principal and managing member. The settlement...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 1, 2016 announced a settled enforcement action against a private equity fund manager (Adviser) for acting as a broker-dealer without registering. The case is...more
On June 1, 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued an administrative order sanctioning Blackstreet Capital Management LLC and Blackstreet’s managing member and principal owner, Murry N. Gunty, for acting as...more