Stock fraud is a hot topic these days. With interest rates at all time lows, investors are demanding higher returns. Financial professionals such as stockbrokers and investment advisers have limited options. Although there are some high yield alternative investments available, most are too risky for the average investor. Good brokers are honest with their clients […]
Pension Plan Administrator Convicted Of Fraud (Employee Benefit Plan Scam)
by Brian Mahany Tens of millions of Americans invest for the future through employer sponsored 401(k) and other employee benefit plans. These plans allow workers to lower their taxes and provide retirement income. Depending on how the money is invested, there is always a risk of loss. In the case of Matthew Hutcheson, an Idaho […]
It’s TIC Season And The Government Is Biting Back
by Brian Mahany We represent dozens of tenants in common – TICs – across the United States. While TICs and like kind exchanges are a legitimate way of investing in real estate, several large TIC promoters have marred the reputation of the industry. This week the government responded with several indictments against the top executives […]
Rich vs. Poor (Corporate Fraud Blog)
by Brian Mahany As the Dow Jones industrial index pushes new highs and comes off the longest winning streak in 17 years, I paused to think today why our phones continue to ring off the hook with new fraud claims. When the markets and economy collapsed in 2007 & 2008, many Ponzi schemes were exposed. […]
Zombie Stockbrokers – Land of the Living Dead – Stockbroker Fraud Post
by Brian Mahany Zombie horror is quite the rage these days in the entertainment industry. Movies, TV shows… even my local Barnes & Noble retailer has an entire section of books devoted to the living dead. While the zombies in the entertainment industry are imaginary, debarred stockbrokers and investment advisers really do come back from […]
Former Irish Bank Prez Arrested By Cops – Ireland Takes Bank Fraud Seriously
by Brian Mahany Because we have a thriving offshore tax law practice, we read many foreign newspapers. This morning I was happily surprised to read the Irish Central and see Sean FitzPatrick, former CEO of Anglo Irish Bank, wearing handcuffs and being lead into a Dublin criminal courtroom by uniformed cops. FitzPatrick ran Anglo Irish […]
Choices In A Modern Day World – Fraud Recovery Blog
by Brian Mahany Some say that prostitution is the world’s oldest profession. Leaving aside whether the sex trade even qualifies as a “profession,” we believe that prostitution certainly wasn’t a crime until relatively recently. There were no “ladies of the night” roaming around during the stone age but fraud was around back then and can […]
More Bad Ink For Morgan Stanley – This Time From ACLU
by Brian Mahany The nation’s big banks have received their fair share of bad press lately. Almost every day is a new horror story involving Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley. Today is no exception. The ACLU announced it sued Morgan Stanley for violating the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit […]
Morgan Stanley Manager Claims He Was Fired For Being A Whistleblower
by Brian Mahany Unfortunately, story titles such as this one are all too common. Companies should welcome employees who are looking after the long term interests of the business and reporting internal wrongdoing. Unfortunately they often don’t, especially in the financial industry. According to published reports, a risk manager from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney claims […]
Insurance Agent Indicted In Novel Scam
by Brian Mahany According to records obtained from the clerk of the Federal District Court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Timothy Schlatre was indicted earlier this week in a novel insurance scam designed to generate huge commissions by making false statements and fraudulent applications. Schlatre was charged with both money laundering and mail fraud. If convicted […]