You missed the warning signs and got suckered into a Ponzi scheme. The IRS offered some tax relief for long-term Ponzi scheme investors (like some of the Madoff victims) who have paid taxes on gains from the investment. The IRS clarified the federal tax law governing the treatment of losses in Ponzi schemes. They also … Read more »
Category: Ponzi Schemes
Ponzimonium, Ponzipalooza, Ponzimania
There is “rampant Ponzimonium.” Or is there a “virtual Ponzipalooza”? Bart Chilton, a commissioner at the Commodities Futures Trading Commission coined these terms in his speech on March 20 before American Bar Association’s Committee on Derivatives and Futures Law Students. Personally, I prefer Ponzimania. The CFTC has filed charges against 15 alleged Ponzi schemes so … Read more »
Combine Risky Mortgages With a Ponzi Scheme
Of course Scott Adams can find humor in Dilbert by combining the worst pieces of the financial industry collapse: risky mortgage loans, a Ponzi scheme, and misaligned executive compensation. Read more »
SEC Settlements in Ponzi Scheme Cases: Putting Madoff and Stanford in Context
In the last six and half years the Securities and Exchange Commission has reached settlements with over 300 defendants in cases related to alleged Ponzi schemes. NERA Consulting has been tracking these SEC settlements since the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted in July 2002. In that time frame there have been 12 Ponzi scheme settlements that … Read more »
More on Madoff’s Auditor
Yesterday, Madoff’s auditor was arrested for falsely stating that the firm had audited the financial statements. No surprise that such a small firm could be auditing a supposedly large investment company like Madoff Investments. Just in time, the AICPA (that’s the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) has expelled Friehling from its membership following an … Read more »
Madoff’s Auditor Arrested
With Madoff in jail, it is time for the rest of his crew of fraudsters to join him. Next up…. David G. Friehling, the sole practitioner at Friehling & Horowitz, CPAs, PC, has been charged with securities fraud, aiding and abetting investment adviser fraud and four counts of filing false audit reports with the Securities … Read more »
You’re a Victim of a Ponzi Scheme, But What About Your Taxes?
You missed the warning signs and got suckered into a Ponzi scheme. Can the IRS help by giving you some tax relief? This is a critical issue for long-term Ponzi scheme investors (like some of the Madoff victims) who have paid taxes on gains from the investment. After all, they have been paying real taxes … Read more »
Can You Prevent Ponzi Schemes?
With Madoff, Nadel and Stanford in the news, people are wondering why the government does not prevent Ponzi schemes. The government should protect us from these frauds. How can they? Ponzi scheme sponsors are thieves. Common criminals. They just wear suits instead of black masks. The government has not been able to prevent bank robberies, … Read more »
Madoff Goes From His Penthouse to the Big House
Bernie Madoff filed past a sea of reporters and camera flashes to enter his guilty plea in front of Judge Denny Chin. Several victims spoke, asking the judge to reject the plea and force a trial. They want grueling trial to make Madoff suffer and to bring more facts out to the public. Since he … Read more »