CFTC Catches Another Ponzi Scheme Involving Forex

CFTC Charges Florida Couple, Claudio and Betty Aliaga, and Companies With Operating Ponzi Scheme
On April 12, the CFTC announced charges against Florida resident Claudio Aliaga (”Aliaga”) and company CMA Capital Management, LLC for operating a Ponzi scheme which fraudulently solicited almost $5 million from customers with the promise of profitable returns trading forex. Here are some highlights [...]

Patrick Rakotonanahary, President/CEO of Cyber Market Group LLC, ARRESTED for Fraud in Conjunction with Ponzi Scheme

Typical Ponzi Scheme Involving Misleading of Customers, Misappropriation of Customer Funds, and False Account Statements Leads to Arrest of Patrick Rakotonanahary of Cyber Capital
March 15, 2010 – In a 23-page Complaint, CFTC alleged that Patrick Rakotonanahary (Rakotonanahary) and his Punta Gorda, Florida forex firm Cyber Market Group LLC (Cyber Market) fraudulently solicited money from public [...]

CFTC Charges Texas-Based Willie Lee Cloud, Jr., Principal & Agent of C & R Financial, with Operating Ponzi Scheme

Cloud, Jr. Charged with Violating CEA, Misappropriating Customer Funds, Providing False Account Statements
Overview

CFTC filed complaint against Willie Lee Cloud, Jr. (Cloud), principal and agent of C & R Financial, Inc. in Texas, for soliciting at least $200,000 from nine investors which he claimed would be put in individual forex trading accounts
Cloud advertised to customers that [...]

CFTC Stops Another Forex Ponzi Scheme

CFTC Charges VA Resident Ronald W. Smith, Jr. with Fraudulent Solicitation and Misappropriation of $800,000+ in Customer Funds
Overview
CFTC charges Smith with providing false account statements to his customers and using at least $800,000 of his customers’ investment money to pay for personal expenses. CFTC claims that Smith traded hardly any of the funds in his customers’ accounts. [...]

Forex Fraudster Jailed For Violating Court Orders in CFTC Anti-Fraud Action

Minnesota Federal Judge Throws Trevor G. Cook in Jail For Dissipating Funds and Failing to Surrender $35 Million+ in Assets
In November 2009, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) ordered an emergency freeze of assets belonging to Minnesota residents Trevor G. Cook and Patrick Kiley and their trading companies. Cook and Kiley, who were charged [...]

CFTC Charges Florida Resident Michael J. Riolo and His Two Companies with Fraud in Alleged Multi-Million Dollar Foreign Currency Scam

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today charged Michael J. Riolo of Boca Raton, Florida, and two companies he controls and owns, LaSalle International Clearing Corporation and Sterling Wentworth Currency Group, Inc., with fraudulently soliciting and receiving funds from members of the general public in an off-exchange foreign currency (forex) scam and providing their [...]

Delaware Resident Kenneth Branch and his company, Cocoon Trade, Inc., Ordered to Pay More than $1.5 Million in Restitution and Penalties in CFTC Commodity Pool Fraud Action

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced today the entry of a Consent Order of Permanent Injunction against Kenneth L. Branch (Branch) of New Castle, Delaware and a Default Judgment Order (Default Order) against Cocoon Trade, Inc (Cocoon). The Orders require Branch and Cocoon collectively to pay $632,787 in restitution to defrauded customers and [...]

CFTC Charges Texas A&M Finance Professor Robert Watson, and Texas Attorney Daniel Petroski and their Companies with Fraud in Multi-Million Dollar Forex Scheme

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today charged Robert D. Watson (Wastson), an executive professor in the Department of Finance at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, Daniel J. Petroski (Petroski), a Texas lawyer and certified public accountant, with orchestrating a multi-million dollar fraudulent off-exchange foreign currency (forex) scheme. Watson and Petroski managed two [...]

Another Forex Fraud

CFTC Freezes Assets of Fraudulent Forex Traders
The CFTC announced another forex scam targeting retail forex investors.  Like many frauds which we have detailed over the last few months, this fraud would likely have been detected earlier if the investors had made some basic inquiries into the claims made by the fraudsters.  This action again shows [...]

Forex Dealer Member Barred From Industry

A forex dealer member, One World Capital Group, LLC, was permanently barred by the NFA from having NFA Membership.  The decision was based on a compliant filed in September of 2008.  Evidently One World has a history of flaunting NFA rules and has been subject to large fines in the past.  We will keep you [...]

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