On February 20, 2015, the Alabama Supreme Court affirmed the order of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama dismissing claims asserted by Walter Energy, Inc. against investor Julian A. Treger, his firm Audley Capital Advisors, LLP and other associated investment entities related to a purported "pump and dump" scheme executed by the Audley defendants related to Walter Energy stock. In late 2010, Walter Energy purchased Western Coal Corporation. Walter Energy alleged in the trial court that the Audley defendants initiated a "pump and dump" scheme on July 17, 2011, when ...
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") recently issued an Investor Alert (the "Alert") to warn investors about the most prevalent types of investment fraud and provide guidance on how to avoid being defrauded. According to the Alert, the five (5) most common fraudulent investment schemes tend to fall into the following general categories:
Pyramid Scheme: A fraudulent ploy in which a small investment is promised to yield large profits within a short period in time, but, in reality, investors only make money if they successfully recruit new investors into the ...