Tag: Hicks

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Article: SEC Announces Judgment Against Stephen Hicks, Southridge Capital Management, Southridge Advisors

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SEC Announces Judgment Against Stephen Hicks, Southridge Capital Management, Southridge Advisors

Fitapelli and Kurta, 15 March 2018

A Securities and Exchange Commission release published on February 15, 2018 states that the SEC has obtained “final judgments” against a Stephen Hicks, a hedge fund manager based in Ridgefield, Connecticut, as well as his investment advisory firms. According to the release, a Connecticut federal court ordered the defendants “to pay nearly $13 million in disgorgement and penalties” following the court’s prior determination that they had engaged in the unlawful diversion of investor funds “for use by other hedge funds that were illiquid and in need of cash.” Continue reading “Article: SEC Announces Judgment Against Stephen Hicks, Southridge Capital Management, Southridge Advisors”

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

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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”

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

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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”

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Article: Southridge Hedgie Hicks Shrugs Off Regulators Investor Fraud Suits

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Southridge Hedgie Hicks Shrugs Off Regulators Investor Fraud Suits

Teri Buhl, 26 October 2010

Stephen Hicks and his Ridgefield, CT hedge fund, Southridge Capital, were sued yesterday for multiple securities violations by the SEC and the Connecticut Banking Commissioner in Connecticut state and federal courts. Howard Pitkin, head of the CT Department of Banking, has been after Hicks for investor fraud and abuse in its broker dealer business since 2007.

Hicks is fight back- after being ordered to comply with a subpoena from the Banking Commission, Southridge then appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court but Pitken eventually won the right to review the funds internal records. Pitkin had originally filed a cease and desist order against the broker dealer side of the hedge funds business. Now he wants to shut the whole Southridge opperation down. Continue reading “Article: Southridge Hedgie Hicks Shrugs Off Regulators Investor Fraud Suits”

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Article: SEC Charges Conn. Hedge Manager With Fraud

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SEC Charges Conn. Hedge Manager With Fraud

Matt Ackermann, 25 October 2010

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Connecticut banking commission have sued a Connecticut hedge fund manager with fraud.

The SEC and Connecticut Banking Commissioner Howard Pitkin charged Southridge Capital Management LLC and its chief executive officer, Stephen M. Hicks, with defrauding investors in million of undeserved fees.

According to a filing in federal court in Connecticut Monday, the SEC alleged that Hicks overvalued the largest position held by funds managed by Southridge and Southridge Advisors LLC. The SEC also said he made material misrepresentations to investors and misused their money to pay legal and administrative expenses of other funds managed by Hicks and Southridge. Continue reading “Article: SEC Charges Conn. Hedge Manager With Fraud”

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Article: UPDATE 1-SEC, Connecticut charge fund manager with fraud

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UPDATE 1-SEC, Connecticut charge fund manager with fraud

Jonathan Stempel, 25 October 2010

NEW YORK, Oct 25 (Reuters) – A Connecticut hedge fund firm was sued on Monday by U.S. and state regulators for allegedly inflating the value of its holdings, allowing it to fraudulently collect millions of dollars of undeserved fees.

Southridge Capital Management LLC and its Chief Executive Stephen Hicks, 52, were sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Connecticut Banking Commissioner Howard Pitkin over their management and financial reporting of several funds.

The SEC said Hicks falsely valued Southridge’s largest holding, speech recognition company Fonix Corp, at $30 million or more based almost entirely on a 2004 transaction in which Fonix bought two companies from an entity he controlled.

It also said Hicks raised $78.9 million over the 2004 to 2007 period after falsely promising investors that more than 75 percent of assets would be put in liquid investments or cash.

Connecticut alleged the overvaluing of fund assets allowed Ridgefield-based Southridge to fraudulently collect more than $26 million in fees from 2004 to 2007. Continue reading “Article: UPDATE 1-SEC, Connecticut charge fund manager with fraud”

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Article: Southridge Capital Management Founder Charged With Fraud Though He May Not Know It Yet

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Southridge Capital Management Founder Charged With Fraud Though He May Not Know It Yet

BESS LEVIN, 10 October 2010

This afternoon, Connecticut regulators accused investment adviser Southridge Capital and its chief executive Stephen Hicks of “preparing false financial statements” that “inflated the assets of five funds from 2004 through 2007 so that they could charge higher fees,” in an alleged scam that netted them an ill-gotten $26 million.

Additionally, many investors have apparently put in redemption requests as far back as 2001, though none of them have seen a dime. Attorney General said the firm told “lucrative lies” which hurt not only its clients “but also the entire economy.” How is Hicks taking the news? Is he ashamed and/or embarrassed? Is he defiantly calling the charges bogus, telling family and friends he’ll fight them? Is he proud of what he’s done and the alliterative prose he inspired in Blumenthal? Or does have no idea he’s been accused of anything, having only seen a bunch of missed calls on his phone?

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Article: SEC Brings Fraud Charges Against Another Hedge Fund

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SEC Brings Fraud Charges Against Another Hedge Fund

Stephen Taub, 25 October 2010

Another day, another hedge fund accused of wrong-doing by regulators.

The Securities and Exchange Commission Monday charged hedge fund manager Stephen M. Hicks and his investment advisory businesses with defrauding investors in funds managed by Southridge Capital Management LLC and Southridge Advisors LLC by overvaluing the largest position held by the funds. The SEC also alleges that Ridgefield, Ct.-based Hicks “made material misrepresentations” and misused investor money to pay legal and administrative expenses of other funds managed by Hicks and Southridge. Continue reading “Article: SEC Brings Fraud Charges Against Another Hedge Fund”

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Article: SEC And Manhattan DA Investigate Southridge Capital

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SEC And Manhattan DA Investigate Southridge Capital

Nathan Vardi, 07 October 2009

Southridge Capital Management, a Ridgefield, Conn., hedge fund firm run by Stephen Hicks that primarily employs an investment strategy known as PIPEs, is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.

The SEC has opened an investigation into Southridge, according to two subpoenas the SEC sent in late July to companies that had received financing from the firm’s hedge funds.

In the five-page subpoenas, Vyta Corp. and Hyperdynamics Corp., two micro-cap companies that have been fighting Southridge for years in court, were asked by the SEC to produce documents reflecting all transfers of cash between them and the Southridge hedge funds over a four-year period. The companies were also told to provide documents relating to securities they issued to Southridge and communications between the companies and Southridge. Continue reading “Article: SEC And Manhattan DA Investigate Southridge Capital”

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Article: Internet Law Library, Inc. v. Southridge Capital Management, LLC

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Internet Law Library, Inc. v. Southridge Capital Management, LLC

Smarter Legal Research, 02 February 2002

On January 12, 2001, Internet Law brought suit against Cootes Drive in the Southern District of Texas (the ” Internet Law action” ), the subject of which is a series of agreements including a Stock Purchase Agreement entered into by Cootes Drive with Internet Law and in which Cootes Drive agreed to provide capital to Internet Law through two vehicles, a $3 million convertible preferred stock purchase and a $25 million equity line agreement. The Stock Purchase Agreement specified New York as the exclusive forum for all litigation between the parties.

The gravamen of the complaint, later amended on February 12, 2001, was that Cootes Drive engaged in short-selling and market manipulation of Internet Law’s stock, artificially depressing the price of the stock to a level at which Cootes Drive would no longer be required to provide funding under the equity line pursuant to a provision in the Stock Purchase Agreement that conditioned funding on Internet Law’s stock trading above a specific price. As such, Internet Law alleges that Cootes Drive committed, inter alia, violations of securities laws, both federal and state, common law fraud and fraud in the inducement, and unlawful conspiracy. Continue reading “Article: Internet Law Library, Inc. v. Southridge Capital Management, LLC”

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