Investment

Bermuda-based insurance broker Stirling Cooke Brown Holdings and offshore-owned electronic payments processor First Ecom.com, which is funded largely with offshore money, face having their shares de-listed from in the first half of 2002 unless their stock prices improve. They have until February 11 to get their stocks above the $1 minimum bid that is required for continued listing on the NASDAQ National Market.

OffshoreAlert has received a complaint from a client who claims he is unable to redeem an investment made with Bahamas-registered Addison International Ltd., which is apparently run from the United States. The client, who is based in the U.S., claims that he placed $400,000 with Addison International in mid-1999 after the firm's principal told him: "If I don't return four per cent per month, you should fire me."

After being alerted to a fraudulent letter linked with Keem Kalfon's group, Gresham House PLC Chairman Alfred P. Stirling issued a general warning to investors about being approached by anyone purporting to offer high investment returns. Stirling stressed that risk was proportional to reward in investment products.

Verlin D. Swartzendruber, 58, has joined the growing band of Americans who have obtained Grenada passports under second names and started raising funds from the island with the lure of high returns. Under his new name of Joseph Severin, Swartzendruber runs Grenada-registered Preferred Trust and Management Ltd, which raises money through continuous stock offering in various companies it manages.

Nevis has a new regulator for its offshore sector - Neville Cadogan, a Jamaican national; and Ian Strang has been replaced as liquidator of Atlas Securities by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

An oil and gas company which was promoted as an investment opportunity at Institute of Global Prosperity conferences has filed for bankruptcy amid allegations of fraud.Robo Exploration Inc., a.k.a. Robo Enterprises Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Kentucky on October 23, 2001.

Recently-filed warnings from securities regulators around the world.

A threatened winding-up application against Overseas Development Bank & Trust, of Dominica, had still not been filed by December 31, 2001.

Imperial Consolidated, whose operations include an offshore bank and offshore mutual funds, has lost a defamation lawsuit that it brought in New Zealand against a former broker. In a judgment in the High Court of New Zealand on December 18, 2001, Judge William Young ruled that defendant David Frederick Stewart was being truthful when he criticized the group on a web-site.

Part of the estimated $5.5 million allegedly looted from the First Cayman Bank/Gulf Union Bank group in 1997 went to satisfy a $1.75 million fraud judgment in the United States, according to the liquidators.The fraud had been committed by Sheikh Abdus Shimmy Qureshi and his now defunct Florida firm Escue Management Inc., it was alleged.

A principal of two offshore banks has told OffshoreAlert that he no longer has anything to do with the Dominion of Melchizedek, despite his name appearing on literature associated with the fake nation.Peter Drakoulakos, who heads Euro Credit Bank A.D., of Montenegro, and Euro Caribbean Bank Ltd., of Grenada, was once listed as the South American "Ambassador" for Melchizedek on its web-site.

OffshoreAlert reported last month that R.W. Cuthill, Jr., the Trustee of Evergreen Security Ltd., had filed an Adversary Proceeding against Costa Rica-based Intrados S.A. at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, where Evergreen has been in bankruptcy since January 23, 2001.

A 26-year-old man defrauded 14 investors of approximately $1.17 million through a scam involving a Nevis-registered "hedge fund", according to a complaint filed in the United States by the SEC.Peter W. Chabot raised the funds from June, 1999 to December, 2001 but, instead of putting it into 'The Synergy Fund', he used it to fund his "extravagant lifestyle", according to the complaint.

Evidence has emerged that the President of a 'paper' offshore securities firm accused of fraud in the United States was attorney Philip W. Johnston, a Canadian who once had a law firm in the Turks & Caicos Islands.Details of Johnston's alleged involvement in TCI-registered Carib Securities Ltd. is contained in a civil lawsuit that is on-going at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

A United States firm has been forming IBCs in Panama and selling them to North Americans at a huge mark-up on the basis that they are "financial institutions", OffshoreAlert can reveal.At least five of the IBCs are currently offering investment products and services from web-sites hosted in Montana or the Bahamas even though none holds a license.

Michael Gilbert, who was severely criticized by a New Zealand judge in a recent court ruling (see separate story), is part of a reorganization that involves the Imperial Consolidated Group and companies with the prefix 'Alpha'.The firm that he is a director of changed its name from Imperial Consolidated (New Zealand) Ltd. to Alpha Equities Asia-Pacific (NZ) Ltd. on November 29, 2001.

Imperial Consolidated founders Lincoln Fraser and Jared Brook have been given additional time to wind up their business affairs before their four year disqualification as company directors in England and Wales becomes effective. A judge sitting at Blackpool County Court

A fund manager whose interests have included a Bermuda reinsurer and a Bahamas bank is being sued for $8.5 million by the Bankruptcy Trustee of a fraudulently run offshore investment firm.The defendants are Atlantic Portfolio Analytics and Management Inc., a.k.a.

Goldman Sachs controlled Stirling Cooke Brown's problems worsened this month as the firm announced that its reinsurance subsidiary, Comp Indemnity Reinsurance Company Ltd., had become insolvent.News of CIRCL's insolvency was contained in the firm's 10Q filing with the SEC on

An application may be made to wind up Dominica based Overseas Development Bank & Trust in the first week of December if it does not honor a demand for payment from a creditor, we have been told.Attorney Michael Bruney told

A claim by St Vincent &the Grenadines that it is serious about combating financial crime was dealt a blow on November 22 when it allowed suspected money launderer Thierry Nano to avoid an arrest warrant.Nano flew from the island on

A client of financial services provider Marc Harris has confirmed to OffshoreAlert that he is taking legal action in Panama in an attempt to recover an investment of approximately $1 million.An article was published in La Prensa newspaper in November

The following letter was sent by R. David Finzer, CEO, LIFE Offshore Group of Companies, to Anthony Boatswain, Minister of Finance, Grenada, on November 16, 2001 and copied to OffshoreAlert. Dear Minister, This is to inform you that the Governing

A fund manager whose interests have included a Bermuda reinsurer and a Bahamas bank is being sued for $8.5 million by the Bankruptcy Trustee of a fraudulently run offshore investment firm.Defendants are Atlantic Portfolio Analytics and Management Inc., a.k.a. APAM

Prosecutors in Canada say are likely to proceed with kidnapping charges against three men, including a Bahamas resident, despite the suicide of the person they allegedly kidnapped.Geoffrey Hamilton Warne, 41, who has been implicated in an offshore investment fraud, died

The AIG sponsored Bermuda Commodities Exchange, which was trying to pioneer the trading of insurance derivatives,, has gone into voluntary liquidation.A legal notice published in Bermuda stated that the Exchange "cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business".The Bermuda

The Canadian Venture Exchange has blocked a reverse merger attempt by a firm offering online stockbroking products to offshore investment firms.British Virgin Islands domiciled Blue Chip Online Ltd., whose President is Canadian businessman Richard Czerlau, had been trying to reverse

The Bahamas Supreme Court dealt a blow to the local government's fight against money laundering by issuing a landmark ruling limiting the powers of the new Financial Intelligence Unit.In a decision dated November 27, 2001, Judge Anita Allen ruled that

Canadian businessman Scott Turner, who is subject to an arrest warrant in the Turks & Caicos Islands for suspected fraud, has issued a letter attacking other members of his failed stockbroker Atlas Securities Inc.Nowhere in the five page letter, which

Four offshore bankers were arrested by United States law enforcement agencies in November and charged with money laundering.Two more have also been charged with money laundering but are still at large after warrants were issued but not executed.Those arrested were

Bahamas-based Americas International Bank Corporation Ltd. is insolvent and was used primarily as "a vehicle to launder funds" received from investment fraud, according to its liquidator.Accountant Clifford Culmer painted a bleak picture of the bank's activities in an affidavit filed with the Bahamas Supreme Court on November 19, 2001.

Indictment in USA v. Julien Giraud and Brian Boeger at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Italy into Armando Cultrera, Vincenzo Cultrera, Carmela Cultrera, Roberto Cultrera, Isabella Albergo, Franco Giardano, Sonia Bonazzi, Loredana Capuano, Roberta Papini, Gianna Laura Boccaforno, Ettore Ragozzini and Mirella Tromba for alleged fraud.

A man who was kidnapped earlier this year in a dispute over a fraudulently-operated offshore mutual fund has committed suicide.Geoffrey Hamilton Warne, 41, died at his home near Kingston, Ontario on October 4.

More has become known about the re branding of the First Nevisian Group, which is now known as The FN Group, and the partial move from Nevis to the Dominican Republic, where its "strategic partner" is H. E. Partners, which

A firm whose insiders included the now defunct Hawthorne Sterling mutual fund group of the Bahamas has been accused of stock fraud in the United States.The stock of Trans Energy Inc. was artificially inflated by the dissemination of several false

The 72 year old principal of a Panama domiciled company that allegedly provided sham insurance for investment scams has been arrested in Belgium, where he is based.Hendrik Rienstra, of New England International Surety Co. Inc., was among six people arrested

The British Columbia Securities Commission has found that Tri-West Investment Club, which operated from addresses in Belize and the Bahamas, committed investment fraud.In a ruling dated October 23, 2001, the Commission ruled against the Club, Haarlem Universal Corporation, Jason Kingsley, Mark Goldman, Alan Richards, Alex Harlem and John Byron. The Commission is scheduled to rule on sanctions on November 9 after giving the parties an opportunity to respond to the ruling.

Arrest warrants for Wayne Turner and his son, Scott, have been issued in the Turks and Caicos Islands following the collapse of their firm, Atlas Securities Inc., four months ago amid allegations of fraud.The warrants were issued at the local Magistrates Court on October 23, 2001 and are the first step in an attempt to extradite the Turners from Canada.

A Bahamas-domiciled firm that purported to be an "offshore hedge fund" has been named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by the SEC in the United States.Crescent Capital Offshore Fund participated in a fraudulent investment scheme that raised more than $11.6 million from approximately 350 investors, it has been alleged.

Bahamas-domiciled Global Asset Partners Ltd., which described itself as "a private asset management company located in The Bahamas", has had its assets frozen in the United States.The freeze order was issued after a lawsuit was filed against the firm by the SEC at the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on September 28, 2001.

The Imperial Consolidated Group has changed its corporate structure for the second time in nine months.Changes include its British-based holding firm, Imperial Consolidated PLC, re-registering from public to private status three days before its year-end of September 30, 2001.

A Nauru-licensed bank that is operated from Nevis was used to launder most of the more than $30 million in profits from a fraudulent stock trading ring, it has been alleged.Exchange Bank and Trust, which is operated by Terry Neal's Nevis American Trust Co., has been named as a relief defendant in three of four related lawsuits filed by the SEC in the United States.

Ernst & Young (Bahamas), partner Paul Clarke and former partner Philip Galanis have failed to obtain the dismissal of a civil lawsuit filed against them in the United States.They now face a trial on allegations of investment fraud that were brought under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

 The settlement between the Bank of Bermuda and victims of the Cayman-based Ponzi scheme known as Cash 4 Titles has received approval of the United States courts."On Friday 12 October 2001, the court gave final approval to the settlement of the Illinois and Florida Cash 4 Titles litigation," stated the Bank in a press release.

Investors who bought shares in a Bahamas-based firm whose principals promptly closed shop and disappeared are being asked for $100,000 to finance what is being described as an 'asset recovery' effort.It might be a case of throwing good money after bad, however, given the track record of the people spearheading the venture.

Americas International Bank Corporation Ltd. has become the latest Bahamas-based private bank to stop operating.AIBC's shareholders passed a special resolution on October 11, 2001 that the bank, which was licensed on September 23, 1994, should go into voluntary liquidation.

Default Judgment in EBI Securities Corporation, Inc. v. Rene Michael Hamouth, The Hamouth Family Trust, 411396BC, Ltd., and Net Command Tech, Inc., f.k.a. Corsaire, Inc., f.k.a. Corsaire Snowboard, Inc. at the U. S. District Court for the District of Colorado.

Counterclaim for Declaratory Judgment in IBP, Inc. and Foodbrands America, Inc. v. Andrew J. Zahn and Philip Sexauer at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

How concerned is the Financial Times newspaper about being used to facilitate fraud? Not enough to stop publishing bogus valuations for the Cayman Islands domiciled Aristocrat Endeavor Fund. The FT is continuing to accept and publish sham Net Asset Values