Last week, Craig L. Josephberg, a Meyers Associates, LP stockbroker, was arrested for engaging in a penny stock fraud scheme involving many securities including CodeSmart Holdings, Cubed, Inc., StarStream Entertainment, Inc. and The Staffing Group, LTD. He was indicted along with A.J. Discala, Marc E. Wexler, Kyleen Cane, Victor Azrak and Ira Schapiro for allegedly defrauding investors and potential investors in several public companies. The scheme in which Mr. Josephberg allegedly participated was “built on lies, deceit and manipulated trading activity to defraud the securities markets and investing public,” according to the US Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Joesphberg’s alleged “pump and dump” scheme included false and misleading press releases and SEC filings, stock market manipulation techniques such as “wash trades,” “matched trades,” “marking the close,” and unauthorized trading for clients who entrusted the stockbrokers with their life savings. As in all such schemes, the price of the various public corporations climbs for no real reason and then falls from the sky with the investors holding worthless stock. Mr. Josephberg’s clients were allegedly on the dumping side of the scheme. According to the FBI, some of the victims had no idea that the stock was being purchased in their accounts by the stockbrokers. The fraudulent scheme purportedly took place in 2013 and this year.
Mr. Josephberg has a history of regulatory events including FINRA investigations, criminal violations, customer complaints and judgments/liens. In fact, a recent FINRA report indicates that at least 7 customer complaints were made against him. It appears that during the relevant period, Mr. Josephberg was working for VFinance Investments, Inc., Halcyon Cabot Partners, Ltd. and Meyers Associates, LP. The customer complaints relate to unsuitable recommendations, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation, and unauthorized trading in many different securities products. The most recent claims, however, relate to purchases of small, high risk penny stocks like those stocks which are the subject of the indictment, VHGI and Cell Therapeutics.
Stockbrokers, registered representatives, and other financial industry professionals have been known to engage in many types of fraudulent and unlawful behavior which violate industry rules and procedures. In order to protect investors from such misconduct, FINRA rules require broker-dealers to establish and implement a reasonable supervisory system. The implementation of the rules requires supervisors to monitor employees to ensure they comply with federal and state securities laws, securities industry rules and regulations, as well as the brokerage firm’s own policies and procedures. If broker-dealers and their supervisors do not establish and implement these protective measures, they may be a liable to account holders for losses flowing from the misconduct. As a result, account holders who have suffered losses stemming from misrepresentations, omissions, and other broker misconduct can bring forth claims to recover damages against broker-dealers like Meyers Associates, which have a duty to supervise its employees in order to prevent the above-described misconduct.
Have you suffered losses in your Meyers Associates account due to fraudulent activity by your broker? If so, call Robert Pearce at the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. for a free consultation. Mr. Pearce is accepting clients with valid claims against Meyers Associates stockbrokers who may have engaged in misconduct and caused investment losses.
The most important of investors’ rights is the right to be informed! This Investors’ Rights blog post is by the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., located in Boca Raton, Florida. For over , Attorney Pearce has tried, arbitrated, and mediated hundreds of disputes involving complex securities, commodities and investment law issues. The lawyers at our law firm are devoted to protecting investors’ rights throughout the United States and internationally! Please visit our website, www.secatty.com, post a comment, call (800) 732-2889, or email Mr. Pearce at pearce@rwpearce.com for answers to any of your questions about this blog post and/or any related matter.
Robert Wayne Pearce
Robert Wayne Pearce of The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. has been a trial attorney for more than 40 years and has helped recover over $125 million dollars for his clients. During that time, he developed a well-respected and highly accomplished legal career representing investors and brokers in disputes with one another and the government and industry regulators. To speak with Attorney Pearce, call (800) 732-2889 or Contact Us online for a FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION with Attorney Pearce about your case.
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