Dec 3
2019

Hearing Set on Alleged Fraud by Fort Worth Oilman

A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22 at the State Office of Administrative Hearings regarding an emergency order alleging fraud by Michael E. Patman and Woodland Resources LLC in selling working interests in oil well-drilling projects.

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles on July...

Nov 6
2019

Florida Firm Fined for Advising Texas Clients While Unregistered

A Florida investment adviser paid a $5,000 fine for doing work for Texas clients while not registered with the Texas Securities Commissioner.

The fine and a reprimand were part of the Disciplinary Order that Commissioner Travis J. Iles entered on Nov. 5. The commissioner also granted the...

Oct 14
2019

Austin Investment Adviser Revoked for Fraud

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles revoked the registration of George A. “Gus” Marwieh , who fraudulently sold more than $5 million in pension-linked investments and real estate development notes to clients without disclosing his excessive commissions, misuse of client funds, and...

Oct 8
2019

Investor Alert: Private Oil and Gas Offerings

Oil and gas investments are highly speculative, complex in their financial structure, and full of jargon that’s nearly impossible for a layperson to understand. For investors whose primary goal is saving for retirement, oil and gas offerings can carry significant risks.

In the past four...

Sep 30
2019

Administrative Action Report July-Sept 2019

The following are summaries of administrative actions the Texas State Securities Board took from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2019:

TMTE Inc. AKA Metals.com AKA Chase Metals LLC: Rescission Offer

Metals.com , a firm accused of convincing older Texans to liquidate securities held with...

Sep 25
2019

Texas Order: Oil and Gas Promoter Offers Repayment to Investors

Jason A. Gilbert , the CEO of a New York-based energy company who last year was ordered to stop an offering of unregistered investments in a multi-million-dollar oil and gas project, has made a full rescission offer to investors.

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles last week...

Sep 16
2019

Texas, Kentucky Enter Orders to Stop Unregistered Oil and Gas Offerings

Texas and Kentucky securities regulators entered emergency orders on Sept. 16 to stop the offering of unregistered investments in an oil-drilling program in Southern Illinois that promises to produce oil wells with a minimum return of 100% within two years and monthly income for 20 years....

Sep 10
2019

State Securities Regulators Release Annual Enforcement Report

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) on Sept. 10 released its annual enforcement report, which shows state securities regulators were responsible for more than $1 billion in monetary relief ordered as a result of state enforcement actions in 2018.

In its 2019...

Aug 12
2019

Unregistered Agent Agrees to Cooperate in Investigation of Oil Investment

Jeremy “JB” Yowell , an unregistered investment promoter for Fort Worth-based Woodland Resources LLC , is cooperating with the Enforcement Division of the State Securities Board in its investigation of the company and its director of operations, longtime oilman Michael E. Patman .

...

Aug 7
2019

Emergency Order Cites Bitcoin, Forex Trader As Crypto Crackdown Continues

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles on Aug. 6 entered the fourth emergency action against a cryptocurrency investment promoter since the State Securities Board started a second investigative sweep of suspect cryptocurrency offerings in late June.

According to the Emergency...

Aug 5
2019

Lubbock Adviser Fined $40,000 for Failure to Supervise Accounts

Lubbock investment adviser Lowell & Company Inc. paid a $40,000 fine to the State of Texas for failing to supervise a representative who nearly wiped out the assets in two client accounts by holding onto an exchange-traded fund designed for short-term trading.

Besides the fine, the...

Jul 16
2019

UPDATED: How Securities Laws Apply to Opportunity Zone Investments

Update: On July 22 the North American Securities Administrators Association issued an Investor Advisory on Opportunity Zone Investments.

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have issued a summary that explains...

Jul 12
2019

Galveston Oilman Sentenced to 18 Years for Defrauding Investors

Daniel Christopher Walsh , a Galveston oilman who made money by keeping investor funds in his pockets – not in the ground, drilling wells –was sentenced to 18 years in state prison on July 12 after reaching a plea agreement in his fraud trial in Wichita County.

Walsh pleaded guilty to...

Jul 11
2019

Gusher of Debt: Texas Oilman Concealing Bankruptcies, Fraud, Sanctions

In soliciting Texans for investments in oil wells promising annualized returns of up to 70%, Michael E. Patman of Woodland Resources LLC is touting his decades of earning profits for investors through oil and gas drilling programs.

Patman’s public record, however, shows a gusher of debt...

Jul 10
2019

Clear Enough? Houston Adviser Fined for Violating Plain Language Rule

Grove Capital Management Inc . paid a $5,000 fine and has been ordered to improve its compliance procedures after failing for eight years to use a form designed to provide disclosures to clients in plain language.

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles on July 9 entered a...

Jul 8
2019

State Securities Regulators to Hold Annual Meeting Sept. 8-10 in Austin

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), marking 100 years of protecting investors, will hold its annual meeting Sept. 8-10 in Austin.

Registration is now open for the meeting, which will bring together securities regulators from U.S. states, the District of...

Jun 30
2019

Administrative Action Report Apr-June 2019

The following are summaries of administrative actions the Texas State Securities Board took from April 1 through June 30, 2019:

FxBitGlobe: Emergency Cease and Desist Order

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles entered an Emergency Cease and Desist Order on April 9 to stop...

Jun 28
2019

State Securities Board Starts Second Regulatory Sweep of Crypto Investments

Texas Securities Commissioner Travis J. Iles on June 28 entered three emergency cease and desist orders against promoters of fraudulent cryptocurrency-related investments who are soliciting Texas residents through Facebook “work from home” forums.

The orders stem from an initiative by...

Jun 18
2019

Investor Alert: The Perils of Pension Income Deals

A pension provides something extremely valuable to any retiree: Guaranteed income.

A pension pays a monthly annuity for the life of the pension holder. If you are a retiree receiving an annuity, or an active employee in a government or private pension plan, you know its value.

...

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