The Madoff Investment Securities Fraud: Regulatory and Oversight Concerns and the Need for Reform Hearing Committee on Banking

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Madoff Investment Securities Fraud: Regulatory and Oversight Concerns and the Need for Reform Hearing Committee on Banking S. HRG. 111–38 THE MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURITIES FRAUD: REGULATORY AND OVERSIGHT CONCERNS AND THE NEED FOR REFORM HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON HOW THE SECURITIES REGULATORY SYSTEM FAILED TO DETECT THE MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURITIES FRAUD, THE EXTENT TO WHICH SECURITIES INSURANCE WILL ASSIST DEFRAUDED VICTIMS, AND THE NEED FOR REFORM JANUARY 27, 2009 Printed for the use of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs ( Available at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/senate05sh.html U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 50–465 PDF WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:33 Jul 07, 2009 Jkt 048080 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\DOCS\50465.TXT JASON COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut, Chairman TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota RICHARD C. SHELBY, Alabama JACK REED, Rhode Island ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York JIM BUNNING, Kentucky EVAN BAYH, Indiana MIKE CRAPO, Idaho ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey MEL MARTINEZ, Florida DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii BOB CORKER, Tennessee SHERROD BROWN, Ohio JIM DEMINT, South Carolina JON TESTER, Montana DAVID VITTER, Louisiana HERB KOHL, Wisconsin MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska MARK R. WARNER, Virginia KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado COLIN MCGINNIS, Acting Staff Director WILLIAM D. DUHNKE, Republican Staff Director DEAN V. SHAHINIAN, Legislative Assistant KATE SZOSTAK, Legislative Assistant BRIAN FILIPOWICH, Legislative Assistant DREW COLBERT, Legislative Assistant DIDEM NISANCI, Legislative Assistant DAVID STOOPLER, Legislative Assistant JONATHAN DAVIDSON, Legislative Assistant TAMARA FUCILE, Legislative Assistant EMILY PALADINO, Legislative Assistant ROB LEE, Legislative Fellow MARK F. OESTERLE, Republican Counsel ANDREW OLMEM, Republican Legislative Assistant HESTER PEIRCE, Republican Legislative Assistant JONATHAN GRAFFEO, Republican Legislative Assistant COURTNEY GEDULDIG, Republican Legislative Assistant SARAH NOVASCONE, Republican Legislative Assistant JASON TUBER, Republican Legislative Assistant DAWN RATLIFF, Chief Clerk DEVIN HARTLEY, Hearing Clerk SHELVIN SIMMONS, IT Director JIM CROWELL, Editor (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:33 Jul 07, 2009 Jkt 048080 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 S:\DOCS\50465.TXT JASON CONTENTS TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009 Page Opening statement of Chairman Dodd .................................................................. 1 Opening statements, comments, or prepared statements of: Senator Shelby .................................................................................................. 4 Senator Johnson Prepared statement ................................................................................... 54 Senator Menendez ............................................................................................ 6 Senator Bennet ................................................................................................. 7 Prepared statement ................................................................................... 54 Senator Johanns ............................................................................................... 7 Senator Schumer .............................................................................................. 8 Senator Merkley ............................................................................................... 10 WITNESSES John C. Coffee, Jr., Adolf A. Berle Professor of Law, Columbia University Law School ............................................................................................................ 11 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 55 Response to written questions of: Senator Shelby ........................................................................................... 81 Senator Johnson ........................................................................................ 82 Senator Johanns ........................................................................................ 83 Henry A. Backe, Jr., M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon, Fairfield, Connecticut ............ 14 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 61 Response to written questions of: Senator Johnson ........................................................................................ 83 Senator Johanns ........................................................................................ 84 Lori A. Richards, Director, Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, Securities and Exchange Commission ...................................... 17 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 63 Response to written questions of: Senator Dodd ............................................................................................. 84 Senator Shelby ........................................................................................... 87 Senator Johnson ........................................................................................ 89 Senator Johanns ........................................................................................ 90 Linda C. Thomsen, Director, Division of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission ......................................................................................... 19 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 67 Response to written questions of: Senate Banking Committee ...................................................................... 91 Senator Dodd ............................................................................................. 93 Senator Shelby ........................................................................................... 98 Senator Johnson ........................................................................................ 100 Senator Johanns ........................................................................................ 104 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:33 Jul 07, 2009 Jkt 048080 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\DOCS\50465.TXT JASON IV Page Stephen I. Luparello, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ........................................................................................... 21 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 73 Response to written questions of: Senator Dodd ............................................................................................. 107 Senator Shelby ........................................................................................... 113 Senator Johnson ........................................................................................ 114 Senator Johanns ........................................................................................ 116 Stephen P. Harbeck, President and CEO, Securities Investor Protection Corporation ........................................................................................................... 23 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 77 Response to written questions of: Senator Dodd ............................................................................................. 117 Senator Shelby ........................................................................................... 117 Senator Johnson ........................................................................................ 118 Senator Johanns ........................................................................................ 119 ADDITIONAL MATERIAL SUPPLIED FOR THE RECORD Harry Markopolos, Chartered Financial Analyst, Certified Fraud Examiner .... 120 Paul Hiller, Chief Fiscal Officer, Town of Fairfield, Connecticut ........................ 142 Barbara Roper, Director of Investor Protection, Consumer Federation of America ................................................................................................................. 144 VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:33 Jul 07, 2009 Jkt 048080 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\DOCS\50465.TXT JASON MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURITIES FRAUD: REGULATORY AND OVERSIGHT CONCERNS AND THE NEED FOR REFORM TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. The Committee met at 10:04 a.m., in room SD–538, Dirksen Sen- ate Office Building, Senator Christopher J. Dodd (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN CHRISTOPHER J. DODD Chairman DODD. Good morning. The Committee will come to order. We meet today and the subject matter is the ‘‘Madoff Invest- ment Securities Fraud: Regulatory and Oversight Concerns and the Need for Reform.’’ First, let me welcome Members of our Committee. Let me begin by welcoming Michael Bennet, a new member of the U.S. Senate from Colorado. We are delighted to have you with us, Senator, and are looking forward to your service on this Committee. Senator BENNET. Good morning. Chairman DODD. We also have a new Member,
Recommended publications
  • The Corporate Governance Lessons from the Financial Crisis
    ISSN 1995-2864 Financial Market Trends © OECD 2009 Pre-publication version for Vol. 2009/1 The Corporate Governance Lessons from the Financial Crisis Grant Kirkpatrick * This report analyses the impact of failures and weaknesses in corporate governance on the financial crisis, including risk management systems and executive salaries. It concludes that the financial crisis can be to an important extent attributed to failures and weaknesses in corporate governance arrangements which did not serve their purpose to safeguard against excessive risk taking in a number of financial services companies. Accounting standards and regulatory requirements have also proved insufficient in some areas. Last but not least, remuneration systems have in a number of cases not been closely related to the strategy and risk appetite of the company and its longer term interests. The article also suggests that the importance of qualified board oversight and robust risk management is not limited to financial institutions. The remuneration of boards and senior management also remains a highly controversial issue in many OECD countries. The current turmoil suggests a need for the OECD to re-examine the adequacy of its corporate governance principles in these key areas. * This report is published on the responsibility of the OECD Steering Group on Corporate Governance which agreed the report on 11 February 2009. The Secretariat’s draft report was prepared for the Steering Group by Grant Kirkpatrick under the supervision of Mats Isaksson. FINANCIAL MARKET TRENDS – ISSN 1995-2864 - © OECD 2008 1 THE CORPORATE GOVERNANCE LESSONS FROM THE FINANCIAL CRISIS Main conclusions The financial crisis can This article concludes that the financial crisis can be to an be to an important important extent attributed to failures and weaknesses in corporate extent attributed to governance arrangements.
    [Show full text]
  • Receiver's Fourteenth Interim Report
    Case 8:09-cv-00087-RAL-TBM Document 1077 Filed 10/17/13 Page 1 of 63 PageID 19348 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA TAMPA DIVISION SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, Plaintiff, v. Case No. 8:09-cv-0087-T-26TBM ARTHUR NADEL; SCOOP CAPITAL, LLC; SCOOP MANAGEMENT, INC. Defendants, SCOOP REAL ESTATE, L.P.; VALHALLA INVESTMENT PARTNERS, L.P.; VALHALLA MANAGEMENT, INC.; VICTORY IRA FUND, LTD.; VICTORY FUND, LTD.; VIKING IRA FUND, LLC; VIKING FUND, LLC; AND VIKING MANAGEMENT, LLC, Relief Defendants. ____________________________________/ THE RECEIVER’S FOURTEENTH INTERIM REPORT Receivership Information and Activity from March 1, 2013 through August 31, 2013. Gianluca Morello, FBN 034997 Michael S. Lamont, FBN 0527122 Maya M. Lockwood, FBN 0175481 WIAND GUERRA KING P.L. 5505 West Gray Street Tampa, FL 33609 T: (813) 347-5100 F: (813) 347-5198 Attorneys for Receiver, Burton W. Wiand Case 8:09-cv-00087-RAL-TBM Document 1077 Filed 10/17/13 Page 2 of 63 PageID 19349 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................4 I. Procedure and Chronology. .................................................................................................4 II. The Receiver’s Role and Responsibilities. ..........................................................................6 III. Overview of Findings
    [Show full text]
  • Lehman Brothers Inc. and Barclays Agree to End Litigation and Resolve Claims Wind-Down of Estate Continues
    Lehman Brothers Inc. and Barclays Agree to End Litigation and Resolve Claims Wind-Down of Estate Continues New York, June 5, 2015 – James W. Giddens, Trustee for the liquidation of Lehman Brothers Inc. (LBI) under the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA), and Barclays Capital Inc. and Barclays Bank PLC today agreed to resolve certain claims and end all ongoing and potential litigation between them. The agreement is consistent with past orders and judgments entered in the litigation and is subject to approval by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, the Honorable Shelley C. Chapman. “It has always been our duty to prudently and diligently pursue every avenue of recovery for assets we believe belong to the estate, and we did so on behalf of creditors by taking the Barclays litigation all the way to the Supreme Court,” Giddens said. “This agreement ends years of litigation and achieves the best result under the circumstances as winding-down and closing out the estate continues in earnest.” Barclays purchased Lehman’s brokerage business following a hearing in Bankruptcy Court that began on September 19, 2008. Immediately after the purchase, the Trustee set in motion the transfer to Barclays of more than 110,000 customer accounts representing more than $92 billion in customer property. At the same time, the Trustee and Barclays engaged in complex and lengthy litigation over certain disputed assets. The Trustee was successful in Bankruptcy Court after 34 days of trial in a case that presented complex and novel legal issues. Subsequently, various appeals court rulings sided with Barclays. The litigation is now concluded as part of this agreement.
    [Show full text]
  • The Immediate and Lasting Impacts of the 2008 Economic Collapse—Lehman Brothers, General Motors, and the Secured Credit Markets
    DO NOT DELETE 4/22/2011 11:28 AM THE IMMEDIATE AND LASTING IMPACTS OF THE 2008 ECONOMIC COLLAPSE—LEHMAN BROTHERS, GENERAL MOTORS, AND THE SECURED CREDIT MARKETS Edward J. Estrada * I. INTRODUCTION Following the economic meltdown that began in the spring of 2008, immediate and longer term ramifications began to ripple through all aspects of the economy. Clearly, these tremors have not yet subsided, and continued fallout will be felt in the coming years. Importantly, even those companies and industries that have seemingly passed through the most immediate wave of im- pacts will be susceptible to the ongoing struggle to achieve sus- tainable growth. Many such companies may experience future de- faults, largely dependent upon the strength and vitality of economic growth in the coming year and their industry perfor- mance in that timeframe. In 2008, as the financial giants of the world began to struggle and collapse, some in the course of a few days, it was widely be- lieved that the credit markets, and in turn the global economy, would completely seize up, causing an economic catastrophe un- paralleled in modern history.1 While tumultuous, what did in fact happen was something far less dramatic, but it had a lasting negative impact, nevertheless. As often happens in crises, some impacts were to be expected and other events were complete surprises. For example, the re- sulting flight from risk by investors (both corporate and individu- * Partner in the Commercial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group of the New York office of Reed Smith LLP. The author would like to thank Aaron Bourke, an associate in the Commercial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group of the New York office of Reed Smith LLP, for his contributions to the article.
    [Show full text]
  • Interviewed Bernard L. Madoffat the Metropolitan Correctional Center, 150 Park Row, New York, NY
    This document contains information that has been collected in connection with an investigation conducted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Office of Inspector General (OIG). It contains confidential, privileged and sensitive information and should not be recopied or distributed without the express consent of the GIG. Interview of Bernard L. Madoff At approximately 3:00pm on June 17, 2009, Inspector General H. David Kotz and DeputyInspector General Noelle Frangipaneinterviewed Bernard L. Madoffat the Metropolitan Correctional Center, 150 Park Row, New York, NY. Madoff was accompanied by his attorney, Ira Lee Sorkin of the firm of Dickstein Shapiro, LLP, as well as an associate from that firm, Nicole DeBello. The interview began with IG Kotz advising Madoff of the general nature of the OIG investigation, and advising that we were investigating interactions the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had with Madoff and his firm, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLP (BLM), going back to 1992. At that point, Sorkin advised Madoff that his only obligation was to tell the truth during the interview. The interview began with Madoff stating that the prosecutor and trustee in the criminal case "misunderstood" things he said during the proffer, and as a result, there is a lot of misinformation being circulated about this scandal, however, he added, "I'm not saying I'm not guilty." 2006 Exam: Madoff recalled that with respect to the 2006 OCIE exam, "two young fellows," (Lamore and Ostrow) came in "under the guise of doing a routine exam;" He said that during that time period, sweeps were being done of hedge funds that focused on ~-ont- running, and that was why he believed Ostrow and Lamore were at BLM.
    [Show full text]
  • S Unsolved Mysteries | 1
    Madoff’s Unsolved Mysteries | 1 Madoff’s Unsolved Mysteries By Edward Jay Epstein Mon, Oct 4, 2010 On September 26, Los Angeles moneyman Stanley Chais may have taken the secret of the Ponzi artist’s missing billions to his grave. The black hole into which Bernie Madoff pumped a still unaccounted-for $7.9 billion grew even darker on September 26 with the death of 84-year-old Los Angeles investment advisor Stanley Chais, one of only two potential witnesses to the laundering of these mystery funds. Both Chais and another Madoff associate, Jeffry Picower, had been charged in separate fraud suits by the SEC in 2009. The government hoped they would help expose the “labyrinth of interrelated international funds, institutions, and entities of almost unparalleled complexity and breadth” into which the money vanished, as a bankruptcy trustee described it. But neither case will ever come to trial. In two of the greatest disappearing acts in financial history, Chais died 10 days ago of a rare blood disease and Picower drowned in his own swimming pool in Florida last October, after an apparent heart attack at age 67. Each had known Madoff for 30 years or more, long before he began his Ponzi scheme. Both men had enjoyed special access to Madoff’s operation. According to the SEC complaint, Picower was told in advance of Madoff’s monthly profit “targets,” or the amounts with which Madoff planned to pad Picower’s accounts. With this knowledge, Picower or his assistant could request higher or lower “profits” for various accounts. Moreover, to amplify Picower’s fictional profits to accommodate this siphoning off, Madoff extended him so much fictional credit that his accounts had, according to the bankruptcy trustee’s analysis, a “negative net cash balance of approximately $6 billion at the time of Madoff’s arrest.” Picower collaborated by faxing Madoff backdated letters to support fabricated trades, some of which reportedly earned profits as high as 550%.
    [Show full text]
  • Special Committee Report
    REPORT OF THE 2009 SPECIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE ON FINRA’S EXAMINATION PROGRAM IN LIGHT OF THE STANFORD AND MADOFF SCHEMES SEPTEMBER 2009 SPECIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE Charles A. Bowsher (Chairman) ———————————— Ellyn L. Brown ———————————— Harvey J. Goldschmid ———————————— Joel Seligman ———————————— INDUSTRY GOVERNOR ADVISERS OF COUNSEL Mari Buechner Paul V. Gerlach W. Dennis Ferguson Griffith L. Green G. Donald Steel Dennis C. Hensley Michael A. Nemeroff SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP 1501 K Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 1 A. The Stanford Case................................................................................................. 2 B. The Madoff Case................................................................................................... 4 C. Recommendations................................................................................................. 6 II. BACKGROUND ON FINRA EXAMINATION PROGRAM...................................... 9 III. EXAMINATIONS OF MEMBER FIRMS INVOLVED IN THE STANFORD AND MADOFF SCANDALS.................................................................. 11 A. The Stanford Case............................................................................................... 12 1. Background............................................................................................... 12 2. Daniel Arbitration and 2003 Cycle Examination...................................... 13 3. 2003
    [Show full text]
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    Case: 11-55577 02/12/2013 ID: 8510031 DktEntry: 43-1 Page: 1 of 46 FOR PUBLICATION UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT DICHTER-MAD FAMILY PARTNERS, No. 11-55577 LLP; PHILIP JAY DICHTER; CLAUDIA GVIRTZMAN DICHTER; RICHARD M. D.C. No. GORDON, 2:09-cv-09061- Plaintiffs-Appellants, SVW-FMO v. ORDER AND UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OPINION Defendant-Appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Stephen V. Wilson, District Judge, Presiding Argued and Submitted January 10, 2013—Pasadena, California Filed February 12, 2013 Before: Stephen Reinhardt, Kim McLane Wardlaw, and Richard A. Paez, Circuit Judges. Order; Per Curiam Opinion Case: 11-55577 02/12/2013 ID: 8510031 DktEntry: 43-1 Page: 2 of 46 2 DICHTER-MAD FAMILY PARTNERS V. UNITED STATES SUMMARY* Federal Tort Claims Act The panel affirmed the district court’s dismissal of an action alleging claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The panel held that the district court correctly concluded that it lacked jurisdiction to entertain appellants’ claims because they fell within the “discretionary function” exception to the United States’ waiver of sovereign immunity in the Federal Tort Claims Act. The panel affirmed the district court’s judgment of dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, and adopted Parts I through V of the district court’s April 20, 2010 opinion, Dichter-Mad Family Partners, LLP v. United States, 707 F. Supp.2d 1016 (C.D. Cal. 2010). The panel also held that the additional allegations made in the Second Amended Complaint were insufficient to overcome the discretionary function exception to the Act’s waiver of sovereign immunity.
    [Show full text]
  • 2010 24Th Annual Edition
    2010 24th Annual Edition SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR In June of this year it was announced that the University of Nebraska – Lincoln will join the Big Ten Athletic Conference on July 1, 2011. The first thing most people thought of was the football schedule. Indeed, our sports teams align themselves with an athletic conference but academia also tends to form affiliations through athletic conferences. The decision to accept of our application to join the Big Ten was made by administrators, not football coaches, and we’re pleased to be joining this select group of academic programs. One of the unique academic benefits of joining the Big Ten is becoming a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). The CIC is a consortium of Big Ten universities plus the University of Chicago that has advanced member academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs. Specifically, member schools share resources for academic programs and research. Library materials are shared by CIC members and students are allowed to take specialized courses from member schools and/or to study in residence on member schools’ campuses for credit at their home institution. The Big Ten Conference has a long tradition of prestigious business schools and accounting programs. For example, ten of the current eleven Big Ten undergraduate business programs are ranked in the top 50 in the country according to U.S. News & World Report (the eleventh school does not have an undergraduate business program).
    [Show full text]
  • BERNARD L. MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURITIES LLC, Debtor
    Case 20-1334, Document 73, 08/06/2020, 2902485, Page1 of 180 20-1334 IN THE United States Court of Appeals FORd THE SECOND CIRCUIT IN RE: BERNARD L. MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURITIES LLC, Debtor. IRVING H. PICARD, TRUSTEE FOR THE LIQUIDATION OF BERNARD L. MADOFF INVESTMENT SECURITIES LLC, Plaintiff-Appellant, SECURITIES INVESTOR PROTECTION CORPORATION, Appellant, —against— LEGACY CAPITAL LTD., KHRONOS LLC, Defendants-Appellees. ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK BRIEF AND SPECIAL APPENDIX FOR PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT ROY T. ENGLERT, JR. DAVID J. SHEEHAN MATTHEW M. MADDEN SEANNA R. BROWN LESLIE C. ESBROOK AMY E. VANDERWAL ROBBINS, RUSSELL, ENGLERT, BAKER & HOSTETLER LLP ORSECK, UNTEREINER & SAUBER LLP 45 Rockefeller Plaza 2000 K Street NW, 4th Floor New York, New York 10111 Washington, D.C. 20006 (212) 589-4200 (202) 775-4500 Attorneys for Plaintiff-Appellant Special Counsel to the Trustee Irving H. Picard, Trustee for the Liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC Case 20-1334, Document 73, 08/06/2020, 2902485, Page2 of 180 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page STATEMENT OF JURISDICTION ........................................................... 1 ISSUES PRESENTED ............................................................................... 2 STATEMENT OF CASE ............................................................................ 3 A. The Collapse Of BLMIS’ Ponzi Scheme And The Resulting SIPA Liquidation .................................................... 3 B. The District Court’s 2014
    [Show full text]
  • Hedge Funds: Due Diligence, Red Flags and Legal Liabilities
    Hedge Funds: Due Diligence, Red Flags and Legal Liabilities This Website is Sponsored by: Law Offices of LES GREENBERG 10732 Farragut Drive Culver City, California 90230-4105 Tele. & Fax. (310) 838-8105 [email protected] (http://www.LGEsquire.com) BUSINESS/INVESTMENT LITIGATION/ARBITRATION ==== The following excerpts of articles, arranged mostly in chronological order and derived from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters, Los Angles Times, Barron's, MarketWatch, Bloomberg, InvestmentNews and other sources, deal with due diligence in hedge fund investing. They describe "red flags." They discuss the hazards of trying to recover funds from failed investments. The sponsor of this website provides additional commentary. "[T]he penalties for financial ignorance have never been so stiff." --- The Ascent of Money (2008) by Niall Ferguson "Boom times are always accompanied by fraud. As the Victorian journalist Walter Bagehot put it: 'All people are most credulous when they are most happy; and when money has been made . there is a happy opportunity for ingenious mendacity.' ... Bagehot observed, loose business practices will always prevail during boom times. During such periods, the gatekeepers of the financial system -- whether bankers, professional investors, accountants, rating agencies or regulators -- should be extra vigilant. They are often just the opposite." (WSJ, 4/17/09, "A Fortune Up in Smoke") Our lengthy website contains an Index of Articles. However, similar topics, e.g., "Bayou," "Madoff," "accountant," may be scattered throughout several articles. To locate all such references, use your Adobe Reader/Acrobat "Search" tool (binocular symbol). Index of Articles: 1. "Hedge Funds Can Be Headache for Broker, As CIBC Case Shows" 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Financial Fraud Law Report
    Financial Fraud Law Report an a.s. pratt & sons publiCation january 2014 Headnote: The Feds Get tougher Steven A. Meyerowitz SAC Civil ForFeiture Action raises stakes For insider tradinG Harry Morgan, Bridget Moore, and Danny David tough tone at tHe top oF tHe SEC Greg D. Andres, Richard J. Sandler, and Linda Chatman Thomsen SEC “Zero toleranCe” nets nearly two doZen Firms For alleGed violations oF Short sale rule Marc D. Powers and Jonathan A. Forman CaliFornia Central distriCt rejeCts Federal Government’s expanded view oF Causation under Federal False Claims Act Edward A. Woods, Susan K. Leader, Amjad M. Khan, and Kelsey S. Morris disseCtinG tHe NIST preliminary CyberseCurity Framework Mary Ellen Callahan, Daniel E. Chudd, Michael T. Borgia, Sabrina N. Guenther, and Anne C. Perry The Government’s $48 million ATM witHdrawal: is it time to start sweatinG Again? Paul R. Berger, Sean Hecker, Andrew M. Levine, Bruce E. Yannett, and Philip Rohlik Consumer FinanCial proteCtion bureau ClariFies new mortGaGe serviCinG rules Brian McCormally and Michael Mierzewski FINRA publisHes report on ConFliCts oF interest and provides GuidanCe to broker-dealers about manaGinG and mitiGatinG ConFliCts Amy Natterson Kroll and Russell M. Fecteau Crime and Courts Act 2013: deFerred proseCution Agreements Code oF praCtiCe Peter Burrell and Paul Feldberg 2013 index oF artiCles 2013 index oF autHors Editor-in-chiEf Steven A. Meyerowitz President, Meyerowitz Communications Inc. Board of Editors Frank W. Abagnale William J. Kelleher III Sareena Malik Sawhney author, lecturer, and consultant corporate counsel director abagnale and associates people’s united Bank Marks paneth & Shron llp Stephen L.
    [Show full text]