August 2017 – Financial Treason & Crime

ValueWalk, 23 August 2017

TSO3 Inc. (“TSO3” or “the Company”) makes low-temperature sterilization systems to eliminate microbial contaminants that cause infection. Founded in 1998, TSO3 is a regular stock promotion that has repeatedly disappointed investors by failing to broadly commercialize its product and show a profit. Déjà vu, now on its 3rd attempted generation STERIZONE VP4 and its 3rd sales/distribution partner Getinge (previous partner 3M sued it), TSO3 is again baiting investors, who’ve bid its share price up 6x since 2014. Our fundamental and forensic analysis suggests investors should brace for disappointment and >80% downside.

The Canadian markets are littered with recent examples of healthcare stocks in need of urgent medical attention, wounded from over-promotion, questionable practices, and poor performance. Short sellers made early warning calls on many names down >80%: Valeant, Concordia, Nobilis, CRH Medical.
Continue reading “Article: SPRUCE POINT CAPITAL ISSUES “STRONG SELL” RESEARCH OPINION ON TSO3”

08/23/201702/27/2021

Article: Spruce Point Capital Releases a Strong Sell Research Opinion on TSO3, Inc. (CN:TOS, OTC:TSTIF)

Article - Media, Publications

Spruce Point Capital Releases a Strong Sell Research Opinion on TSO3, Inc. (CN:TOS, OTC:TSTIF)

Spruce Point Capital Management, 23 August 2017

In late January 2021, GameStop experienced a once-in-a-decade squeeze that has captivated the world’s attention. It was a premeditated and programmatic exercise, orchestrated by coordinated stock and option buying across the retail and professional community, resulting in large institutional entities losing billions of dollars. Investment houses with significant short positions did not expect a stock with GameStop’s fundamental profile to increase +2,500% in price over less than three weeks; therefore, they did not have the controls in place to handle the incredible levels of stock and call option purchases. The frenzy drew comments from the White House, provoked a social media crackdown, caused brokerage units to restrict trading, and has led to a Congressional hearing on GameStop on Thursday, February 18th.
Continue reading “Article: Spruce Point Capital Releases a Strong Sell Research Opinion on TSO3, Inc. (CN:TOS, OTC:TSTIF)”

08/22/201703/25/2021

Article: Ridgefield hedge fund manager, firms to pay nearly $13 million in SEC case

Article - Media, Publications

Ridgefield hedge fund manager, firms to pay nearly $13 million in SEC case

Kevin Zimmerman , 22 August 2017

U.S. District Judge for the District of Connecticut Robert N. Chatigny has ordered hedge fund manager Stephen Hicks of Ridgefield and his investment advisory businesses to pay nearly $13 million in a case where the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged he illegally diverted investor money for use by other hedge funds that were illiquid and in need of cash.

The SEC has been actively litigating the case since filing its complaint in 2010 against Hicks and his firms Southridge Capital Management LLC and Southridge Advisors LLC, maintaining that investors were defrauded because they were not told about the transfers of hedge fund assets while they were taking place. Continue reading “Article: Ridgefield hedge fund manager, firms to pay nearly $13 million in SEC case”

08/22/201703/25/2021

Article: Court Orders Hedge Fund Advisers to Pay $12.9 Million in SEC Fraud Case

Article - Media, Publications

Court Orders Hedge Fund Advisers to Pay $12.9 Million in SEC Fraud Case

Elizabeth Dalziel, 22 August 2017

On August 2, 2017, a federal court in Connecticut ordered Steven Hicks (“Hicks”), a hedge fund manager, and his hedge fund advisory firms to pay almost $13 million. This payment includes disgorgement and a penalty. In 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a complaint against Hicks and his two hedge fund advisers, Southridge Capital Management LLC (“Southridge Capital”) and Southridge Advisors, LLC (“Southridge Advisors”).

The complaint alleged that Hicks, Southridge Capital, and Southridge Advisors committed fraud by placing investor money in illiquid securities when investors were told that “at least 75% of their money would be invested in unrestricted, free-trading shares.” Continue reading “Article: Court Orders Hedge Fund Advisers to Pay $12.9 Million in SEC Fraud Case”

08/17/201707/02/2021

Article: Top Wall Street Banks Accused of Conspiracy to Control Stock Lending Market Via Threatening Tactics and Boycotts

Article - Media

Top Wall Street Banks Accused of Conspiracy to Control Stock Lending Market Via Threatening Tactics and Boycotts
Cohen Milstein, 17 August 2017

Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, UBS, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Face Antitrust Allegations

NEW YORK—Several of the world’s largest investment banks have colluded, in violation of federal antitrust laws, to create and maintain exclusive control of the more than $1 trillion stock loan market, reaping massive profits at the expense of investors, according to three public employees’ pension funds which today filed a federal class action lawsuit. The suit alleges that since at least 2009, six of the world’s largest investment banks—Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and UBS—have illegally conspired to overcharge investors and maintain the power they hold over the stock loan market, obstructing multiple efforts to create competitive electronic exchanges that would benefit both stock lenders and borrowers. Continue reading “Article: Top Wall Street Banks Accused of Conspiracy to Control Stock Lending Market Via Threatening Tactics and Boycotts”

08/11/201702/22/2021

Article: Feds file fraud charge in Columbia Sportswear hacking case

Article - Media, Publications

Feds file fraud charge in Columbia Sportswear hacking case

Jeff Manning, 11 August 2017

Federal prosecutors sent a message to would-be hackers Thursday, filing a single count of computer fraud against Michael Leeper, the former Columbia Sportswear information technology manager who allegedly continued to log in to the company’s computer system for years after he quit.

Leeper worked for Columbia for 14 years, topping out as director of technical infrastructure, which gave him virtually unlimited access to Columbia’s computer systems. Leeper quit in 2014 to join a Seattle technology company. Prosecutors claim he continued to access Columbia’s system for more than two years with the hopes of commercial gain
Continue reading “Article: Feds file fraud charge in Columbia Sportswear hacking case”

08/09/201705/03/2020

Release: Callidus Statement Regarding Allegations in The Wall Street Journal

Release

Callidus Statement Regarding Allegations in The Wall Street Journal

Callidus Capital, 2017

Callidus Capital Corporation (the “Company” or “Callidus”) today provided the statement below in response to media reports containing allegations regarding the Company and its majority shareholder, The Catalyst Capital Group Inc. (“Catalyst”).

The Wall Street Journal today published allegations about Callidus and Catalyst that are completely false. Callidus is particularly concerned that the Wall Street Journal chose to publish these allegations after a comprehensive briefing held with them on August 8, 2017. For example, as part of that meeting it was made clear that the treatment of the Catalyst guarantee for Callidus loans made to Xchange Technology Group was in accordance with all applicable accounting requirements. As well, full disclosure was contained in both Catalyst’s financial reports to its limited partners and through Callidus’ public disclosures on an ongoing basis. The accounting treatment and disclosure were entirely appropriate and there is no basis for allegations to the contrary, facts the Wall Street Journal chose to ignore.

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08/01/201705/24/2020

Article: JPMorgan Fined for Bad Trade Surveillance Parameter Settings

Article - Media

JPMorgan Fined for Bad Trade Surveillance Parameter Settings

Trillium, 1 August 2017

Last week, the enforcement divisions of the three major exchange groups released a settlement agreement with JP Morgan Securities imposing an $800,000 fine for inadequate pre-trade controls and post-trade surveillance.

The post-trade surveillance portion of the settlement agreement revealed that JPMS used an unnamed “commercial non-proprietary Third-Party Surveillance System” (it wasn’t Surveyor), but set the parameters of that system “at levels that were unreasonable to detect activity that may be indicative of layering and spoofing activity.”

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