Fee Rate Advisory #1 for Fiscal Year 2010

4/30/2009 SEC Press Release:

Washington, D.C., April 30, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that in fiscal year 2010 the fees that public companies and other issuers pay to register their securities with the Commission will be set at $71.30 per million dollars. In addition, the fees applicable to most securities transactions will be fixed at $12.70 per million dollars.

The Commission determined these new rates in accordance with the procedures required under the Investor and Capital Markets Fee Relief Act. Accordingly, the Commission consulted with both the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget regarding the annual adjustment. These adjustments do not affect the amount of funding available to the Commission.

A copy of the Commission’s order, including the calculation methodology, is available at http://www.sec.gov.

Background

The Investor and Capital Markets Fee Relief Act requires that the Commission make annual adjustments to the rates for fees paid under Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 13(e), 14(g), and 31 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Specifically, the Commission must set rates for the fees paid under Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 31 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to levels that the Commission projects will generate collections equal to annual targets specified in the Act. The targets in the Fee Relief Act for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 are as follows:

(Figures in millions) FY 2009 FY 2010
Statutory Collections Targets for Fees Under Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 $284 $334
Statutory Collections Targets for Fees Under Section 31 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 $1,023 $1,161

Effective Oct. 1, 2009, or five days after the date on which the Commission receives its fiscal year 2010 regular appropriation, whichever date comes later, the Section 6(b) fee rate applicable to the registration of securities, the Section 13(e) fee rate applicable to the repurchase of securities, and the Section 14(g) fee rates applicable to proxy solicitations and statements in corporate control transactions will increase from $55.80 per million dollars to $71.30 per million dollars. The Section 6(b) rate is also the rate used to calculate the fees payable with the Annual Notice of Securities Sold Pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

In addition, effective Oct. 1, 2009, or 30 days after the date on which the Commission receives its fiscal year 2010 regular appropriation, whichever date comes later, the Section 31 fee rate applicable to securities transactions on the exchanges and certain over-the-counter markets will decrease from $25.70 per million dollars to $12.70 per million dollars. The assessment on security futures transactions under Section 31(d) will remain unchanged at $0.0042 for each round turn transaction.

The Office of Interpretation and Guidance in the Commission’s Division of Trading and Markets is available for questions on Section 31 at (202) 551-5777, or by e-mail at tradingandmarkets@sec.gov.

The Commission will issue further notices as appropriate to keep the public informed of developments relating to the effective dates of the fee rates under Section 6(b), Section 13(e), Section 14(g), and Section 31. These notices will be posted at the Commission’s Internet Web site at http://www.sec.gov.

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http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2009/2009-100.htm

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 21011 / April 24, 2009 Securities and Exchange Commission v. David Praise, et al

4/22/2009 SEC Litigation Release:

Litigation Release No. 21011 / April 24, 2009

Securities and Exchange Commission v. David Praise, et al., Civil Action No. 09-2802 (United States District Court, Central District of California, Los Angeles Divison)

SEC Sues Promoters of High Yield Investment Programs for Fraud and Seeks Penalties and Disgorgement of Investor Funds

On April 22, 2009, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil action in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, California, against defendants David Praise, Noel Kamanga Mwangi, Martin A. Burke, and William F. Dippolito. The Commission alleges that the defendants conducted two fraudulent high-yield securities offerings between August 2007 and August 2008, raising a total of $14.7 million from approximately 10 investors located throughout the United States and Canada.

The Commission’s complaint alleges that, in the first offering, defendant Praise represented that investors could make $15 million for every $1 million invested through a so-called “buy-sell” trading program involving foreign bank instruments. Investors ultimately deposited a total of $12.2 million into a designated bank account, but no “buy-sell” transactions ever occurred. Instead, Praise and others absconded with the funds.

In the second offering, the Commission alleges that defendants Burke and Praise told an investor that a company Burke controlled had arranged to purchase a 500 million euro “medium-term note,” which they would use to support a trading program. Burke and Praise told the investor he would receive $10 million in 30 days, plus trading profits over the next year. At their direction, the investor deposited $2.5 million into an account controlled by defendant William F. Dippolito, a Tacoma, Washington attorney who the Commission charged with fraud in a similar fraudulent scheme in 2007. See SEC v. Global Finance & Investments, Inc. et al., Litigation Rel. No. 20200 (July 18, 2007). The funds were never used as Burke and Praise claimed. Rather, Dippolito, at defendant Mwangi’s direction, sent the funds to Mwangi, entities Praise controlled, and others.

The Commission’s complaint charges defendants Praise, Mwangi, and Burke with violations of Section 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”) and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and charges Dippolito with aiding and abetting Praise, Mwangi and Burke’s violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The Commission seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement with prejudgment interest and civil penalties against all defendants.

In addition, the Commission has named the following people and entities as relief defendants because they received investor funds for no consideration: Marinco, Inc., China Infrastructure Capital Management, Inc., Werner Buettiker, Gabrial Pennicott, Cynthia Pennicott, Salomon Bassim, William Lenz, Lenzburg Capital Corporation, Integrated Technologies Group, Inc., Investor Select, A.G., Robert Justino, Kismet Cyriacks, Zara Akbar, Dr. Brian P. Killian, and William R. Chapman. As to these relief defendants, the Commission requests disgorgement of their ill-gotten gains, with prejudgment interest.

http://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2009/lr21011.htm

SEC Obtains Asset Freeze of Florida-Based Investment Adviser Defrauding Investors

4/23/2009 SEC Press Release:

Washington, D.C., April 23, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission has obtained an emergency asset freeze and the appointment of a receiver over a Naples, Fla.-based investment adviser that has been charged with defrauding investors by misrepresenting the nature of $550 million in investments. The receivership and asset freeze also extend to the funds managed by the investment adviser.

The SEC alleges that William L. Gunlicks and his firm, Founding Partners Capital Management Company, made misrepresentations about the risk of investments in loans made by the funds. They also solicited new investors for their largest fund without disclosing that the fund was facing significant redemption requests.

“Investors are entitled to complete and accurate information about their investments and any risks involved,” said David Nelson, Director of the SEC’s Miami Regional Office. “Founding Partners and Gunlicks placed unsuspecting investors’ assets in jeopardy through their fraudulent conduct.”

The SEC’s complaint, filed in federal court in Fort Myers, Fla., alleges that Gunlicks and Founding Partners misrepresented to investors that their primary fund loaned money to two companies that purchased primarily short-term, highly liquid account receivables that fully secured the loans. The companies instead purchased account receivables that were longer-term, less liquid, and much riskier in nature.

The SEC also charged Gunlicks and Founding Partners with misusing fund assets to pay personnel expenses, and misrepresenting that its funds had audited financial statements for 2007 when they did not. Additionally, the SEC alleges that Gunlicks and Founding Partners failed to disclose to all investors and to comply with a prior Commission order entered against them.

The Honorable John E. Steele of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted the SEC’s request for an asset freeze and other emergency relief on April 20, 2009. The court also appointed Leyza F. Blanco, an attorney in the law firm Gray Robinson, P.A. of Miami, Fla., as receiver over Founding Partners and its managed funds. Among other things, the receiver is responsible for marshaling and safeguarding assets held by these entities.

The SEC’s complaint alleges that Gunlicks and Founding Partners violated Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1), (2), and (4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. The SEC also alleges that they violated a prior Commission order requiring that they cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 17(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

In addition to emergency relief, the SEC’s complaint seeks disgorgement of the defendants’ ill-gotten gains, prejudgment interest, and financial penalties.

The SEC’s investigation is continuing.

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For more information, contact:

David Nelson
Regional Director, SEC’s Miami Regional Office
(305) 982-6332

Glenn Gordon
Associate Regional Director, SEC’s Miami Regional Office
(305) 982-6360

Eric Busto
Assistant Regional Director, SEC’s Miami Regional Office
(305) 982-6362

http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2009/2009-87.htm