On April 06, 2012 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published that the commission charged six Chinese citizens and one British Virgin Islands entity with insider trading on April 4, 2012, that resulted in illicit gains in excess of $9.2 million. The alleged insider trading occurred in the common stock and call options of Zhongpin Inc., a China-based corporation, in advance of a March 27, 2012, public announcement by Zhongpin that its Chairman and CEO, Xianfu Zhu, had made a non-binding offer to acquire all of Zhongpin’s outstanding stock at $13.50 per share, a 46% premium over the previous day’s closing price. Also on April 4, the SEC obtained an emergency court order freezing the defendants’ assets.

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On April 06, 2012 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published that the commission charged a South Florida investment manager who defrauded investors by making with false claims about his investment track record and providing bogus account statements that reflected fictitious profits. In the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the SEC alleges that since 2005, George Elia and International Consultants & Investment Group Ltd. Corp., pulled in at least $11 million from investors by falsely claiming annual returns as high as 26%, and that Elia transferred more than $2.5 million of investor funds to two entities he controlled, Elia Realty, Inc., and 212 Entertainment Club, Inc.

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On April 05, 2012 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published that the U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida sentenced Gaston E. Cantens to five years' imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release on April 4, 2012, for conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §371 involving a $135 million securities offering fraud and Ponzi scheme targeting Cuban-American investors primarily from South Florida. Cantens, who is now 73, served as president of Royal West Properties, Inc., a Miami-based real estate developer that purchased and resold thousands of parcels of real estate on the west coast of Florida. Cantens funded Royal West by offering investors no-risk promissory notes that promised investors annual returns of 9% to 16% purportedly backed by recorded mortgage assignments. On January 25, 2012, Cantens pled guilty to a criminal Information filed by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Angel Luis Suarez of Briarwood, New York was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. The sanction was based on findings that Suarez executed trades in the account of a customer at his member firm without the customer’s knowledge, authorization or consent. The findings stated that Suarez intentionally executed unauthorized trades in the customer’s account, and attempted to conceal his misconduct. When Suarez’ firm confronted him with the allegations of unauthorized trading, he first tried to conceal the unauthorized trading by claiming that the customer had authorized the trades.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Nicholas Dean Skaltsounis of Richmond, Virginia was fined $10,000, suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for 30 business days, and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any principal capacity for three months. The fine shall be due and payable on Skaltsounis’ return to the securities industry.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Mark Simonetti of Cedar Knolls, New Jersey has submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which he was fined $10,000, suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for three months, and consented to cooperate with FINRA Department of Enforcement staff in its continuing investigation of a matter, including the prosecution of the matter before a FINRA Hearing Panel, by, among other things, meeting with and being interviewed by the staff without FINRA’s resorting to Rule 8210, and testifying truthfully at the hearing of the matter.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Peter William Shea of Pleasant Hill, California has submitted an Offer of Settlement in which he was fined $7,500 and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for three months. In light of his financial status, Shea was not required to disgorge the $32,400 in earned commissions. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Shea consented to the described sanctions and to the entry of findings that he engaged in private securities transactions for compensation totaling approximately $32,400, without prior written notice to his member firm.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Allan Anthony Scheer of Melbourne, Florida has submitted an Offer of Settlement in which he was fined $5,000 and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for four months. The fine is to be paid upon reentry to the securities industry. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Scheer consented to the described sanctions and to the entry of findings that he misrepresented material information to potential customers regarding the returns associated with the index-linked certificates of deposit (CDs) that they each purchased from his member firm.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Richard Patrick Sandru of Fort Myers, Florida has submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which he was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. Without admitting or denying the findings, Sandru consented to the described sanction and to the entry of findings that he caused financial planning forms for investment advisory customers to be submitted to the corporate accounting office that services his member firm and its investment advisor affiliate without the customers’ knowledge or authorization, and without providing the financial planning services described in the forms so that the customers were improperly charged fees ranging from $500 to $5,000 per financial plan.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Sergio M. Ripamonti of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida has submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which he was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. Without admitting or denying the findings, Ripamonti consented to the described sanction and to the entry of findings that he conducted a securities business with an unregistered person. The findings stated that Ripamonti took instructions from, and acted for the financial benefit of, the unregistered person, who needed access to a broker-dealer to place trades for his customers.

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As published in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) disciplinary actions report for March 2012, Melissa Rae Reppert of San Diego, California has submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which she was fined $25,000 and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for five months. The fine must be paid either immediately upon Reppert’s reassociation with a FINRA member firm following her suspension, or prior to the filing of any application or request for relief from any statutory disqualification, whichever is earlier. Without admitting or denying the findings, Reppert consented to the described sanctions and to the entry of findings that she recommended to her firm’s customers an investment in an unregistered and not publicly traded company.

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On April 05, 2012 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published that the commission deems it appropriate and in the public interest that public administrative proceedings be, and hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against Scott A. Wolf. In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondent Wolf has submitted an Offer of Settlement which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over him and the subject matter of these proceedings, and the findings contained in Section III.2 below, which are admitted, Respondent Wolf consents to the entry of this Order Instituting Administrative Proceedings Pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions, as set forth below.

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On April 05, 2012 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published that the commission initiated proceedings pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against Alvin C. Ramsey (“Respondent”) on June 21, 2011. Respondent has submitted an Offer of Settlement which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over him and the subject matter of these proceedings and Section III, 2 below, which are admitted, Respondent consents to the entry of this Order Making Findings and Imposing Remedial Sanctions Pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

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On April 04, 2012 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published that the commission Order bars Kenneth E. Marsh, Baldwin Anderson, Robert Anthony Budion, Jeanne M. Lada, James T. Levier (Respondents) from association with a broker, dealer, investment adviser, municipal securities dealer, transfer agent, and nationally recognized statistical rating organization. Respondents were previously enjoined from violating antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and were criminally convicted of conspiracy and securities fraud violations.

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On April 05, 2012 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published that the United States District Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island on April 3, 2012 entered an Order of Civil Contempt finding defendant David Stern in contempt based on Stern’s violation of the Court’s previous injunctive orders against him. Stern is a defendant in an enforcement action filed by the Commission in October 2010 alleging that he and his company, Online Registries, Inc., d/b/a Online Medical Registries, defrauded investors by making various misrepresentations and dissipating investor funds. The court initially entered a temporary restraining order and asset freeze in the case and later entered a preliminary injunction and continuing asset freeze that, among other things, prohibited Stern from transferring, assigning, or diminishing in value any assets of OMR or soliciting new investors.

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