IN THE NEWS, Wannabe Stock Pimp Nailed By SEC
sec.gov
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
LITIGATION RELEASE NO. 15609 / January 6, 1998
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION V. STEVEN SAMBLIS, ET AL. Case No. 98-001-CIV-ORL-22-C.
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") announced that it filed
a complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando against Steven Samblis and his corporation New Stock,Inc. ("NSI"). According to the SEC's Complaint, Defendant Samblis is a resident of the Orlando, Florida area and self-professed stock picker. The SEC alleges that Samblis, together with co-defendant NSI, is passing himself off as an independent and impartial stock picker when, in fact, he is nothing more than a paid pitch man for the companies he hypes.
In its Complaint, the SEC alleges that in October 1997 Samblis
published a magazine, New Stock, in which he enthusiastically recommended the securities of certain publicly-traded companies without disclosing that he had been paid at least $20,000 to make these recommendations. The SEC also alleges that Samblis was paid to issue thousands of E-mails over the Internet regarding these same securities. The SEC learned of Samblis' activities when detected by the Enforcement Division's Internet Surveillance program.
The SEC is seeking an expedited hearing and preliminary injunction
against Samblis and NSI for violating Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933. Section 17(b) makes it illegal for any person to distribute any publication recommending a security while being paid to do so without fully disclosing that he has been or will be paid for recommending the stock and the amount he has been or will be paid. In addition to a preliminary injunction, the SEC seeks a permanent injunction against Samblis and NSI, disgorgement of ill-gotten profits, and civil money penalties.
Investors are advised to read the SEC's "Cyberspace" Alert before
purchasing any investment promoted on the Internet. The free publication, which alerts investors to the telltale signs of online investment fraud, is available on the Investor Assistance and Complaints link of the SEC's Home page on the World Wide Web <www.sec.gov>. It can also be obtained by calling 800-SEC-0330. Investors are encouraged to report suspicious Internet offerings (or other suspicious offerings) via e-mail to <enforce-ment@sec.gov>. A user-friendly form to assist you in making a report is available at the Enforcement Complaint Center on the Enforcement Division
link of the SEC Home Page <www.sec.gov>. Investors can also mail a report to the SEC's Enforcement Complaint Center, Mail Stop 8-4, 450 Fifth Street, Washington, D.C. 20549.
Gee, I hope I don't get in trouble with the SEC for cutting and pasting that.
CMB |
