According to the SEC's complaint, from December 2017 through at least July 2021, Safeguard and Santulan acted as investment advisers and persuaded investors to sell their existing securities, transfer the proceeds into self-directed Individual Retirement Accounts, and invest the proceeds into gold and silver coins by making false and misleading statements about the safety and liquidity of the investors' securities investments, Safeguard's business, and its compensation. Help us improve the DFPI website! 1, Report #1485959. City, State. For contact information, visit the NASAA website here. The CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this action are Steve Turley, Clemon Ashley, Jeff Le Riche, Christopher Reed, and Charles Marvine; in partnership with enforcement authorities from NASAA member agencies, led by the Alabama Securities Commission and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Safeguard and Santulan reportedly used false and misleading statements about the safety and liquidity of the investments, Safeguards business practices, and its compensation structure. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has joined a lawsuit with 26 other states and a federal agency against Safeguard Metals, a business accused of scheming to trick seniors into investing in "wildly overvalued precious metals," according to a statement released by the AG's Office on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The Sunday Read: 'Elon Musk's Appetite for Destruction'. Division of Consumer Financial Protection, Division of Corporations and Financial Institutions, Licensee & Financial Service Provider Search, Actions, Order and Administrative Hearing Decisions, Central Locations for Service of Legal Process, Office of Financial Technology Innovation, Financial Services and Mortgage Lending Licensees Search, Licensees and Industries Regulated by the DFPI, Actions, Orders and Administrative Hearing Decisions. This is a whole series of standard personal injury claims where the plaintiff sues the defendant. Securities Arbitration Attorneys Our FINRA arbitration lawyers work with investors to recover losses caused by securities fraud, investment fraud, and other kinds of stockbroker misconduct. This joint civil enforcement action against the precious metals dealer is understood to be the second of its kind, after the CFTC and state regulators filed an action in 2020 against Metals.com and its principals, Lucas Asher and Simon Batashvili. The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains, plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. Idaho consumers invested approximately $1.3 million in the scheme. Show. Website visitors should be aware that investment markets involve inherent risks and past performance is no guarantee of future performance. We are committed to holding those accountable who undermine the investing publics trust in our commodities markets through illegal conduct., Todays action demonstrates the commitment of state and federal regulators to work together to prevent investment fraud, said Joseph P. Borg, Co-chair of NASAAs Enforcement Section and Director of the Alabama Securities Commission. Criminal cases involve acts that are considered prejudicial to the tradition as a whole (thus they are generally considered crimes against the state or against the jurisdiction of the competent prosecutor). Who are the top 5 gold producing countries. Safeguard works at the direction . $68.51. The following information is designed to notify you about tricky promises of easy profits from rising prices in precious metals such as gold, silver, palladium, and platinum. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. As the complaint alleges, to perpetuate their fraud, when questioned by customers about the value of the precious metals they purchased, the defendants claimed the silver coins were rare and carried a premium far above the base melt value to conceal their fraud and hide that customers significantly overpaid for their investments. . These cookies do not store any personal information. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); With FNG's Newsletter you'll get all the latest breaking FX Industry news stories - in a concise daily email, directly to your Inbox. Is Nationwide Gold and Bullion Reserve legitimate? The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains, plus interest, and civil penalties. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 10. Buckhead Tower, Suite 400 3399 Peachtree Rd. Safeguard Metals LLC is a Wyoming Limited Liability Company with an office located in Woodland Hills, California. The SEC also alleged that Safeguard and Santulan represented 4% to 33% markups, but actually charged average markups of approximately 64% on its sale of silver coins. KIFI Local News 8 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. If you or your loved one experienced investment losses, we are here to help. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. INDIANA- Attorney General Todd Rokita today filed a lawsuit with 26 other states and a federal agency against Safeguard Metals, a business that schemed to trick elderly victims into investing. The complaint charges defendants Safeguard Metals LLC (Safeguard Metals) and its principal, Jeffrey Santulan a/k/a Jeffrey Hill with executing an ongoing nationwide fraud that solicited and received approximately $68 million in investor funds to purchase precious metals and fraudulently overpriced silver coins. Securities markets may operate on Wall Street, but stocks, bonds and other securities are sold on Main Street, in our neighborhoods and even over our kitchen tables from branch offices throughout the United States. Contact Us Now For a Free Consultation $25 MILLION Recovery Against National Brokerage Firm $9.1 MILLION FINRA Arbitration Award Against Brokerage Firm Required fields are marked *. Share your feedback. Topics: New York Civil cases usually involve secret disputes between individuals or organizations. Contact the Idaho Department of Finance at securities@finance.idaho.gov. "We will take action when, as alleged, parties fraudulently induce investors to sell their securities through lies and deception.". Below is information about these offers and simple ways to spot offers that could be scams. Is nationwide coin and bullion reserve a scam? Drug distributors, J&J to pay $590 mln to settle U.S. tribes' opioid claims REUTERS Acetabular metal shell (this is the metal "socket" that goes into your native hip socket) Acetabular liner (plastic / polyethylene) liner (the cushion that . As low as $52.50. Additionally, Safeguard allegedly marketed itself as a full-service investment firm with offices in London, New York City, and Beverly Hills that employed prominent individuals in the securities industry and had $11 billion in assets under management. Investors should also contact their state or provincial securities regulator with questions about any investment opportunity or the person offering it for sale before investing in the product. Safeguard's website pitches the investments as a way to "hedge against uncontrolled government spending and dizzying money printing by the Federal Reserve." If you have further questions or need more assistance, please call the DFPI's Consumer Services Office at: 1-866-275-2677. var allPs = document.getElementsByTagName("p"); When it comes to protecting the public, we will not hesitate to do everything in our power to vigorously investigate and protect their retirement savings from fraud in commodities markets, said Acting Director of Enforcement Vincent McGonagle. I was recently scammed by a scam agency but Metals Safeguard is 100% legit. . In reality, Santulan allegedly operated the company from a small leased space in a Woodland Hills, Calif. office building using sales agents. City News Service is a regional wire service covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. We strive to use common sense and the right approach to maintain objectivity in providing recommendations that are in the interests of readers. That was substantially more than the amounts the defendants represented in Safeguard Metals customer agreements. Oct 08 2022. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. I deposited a significant amount of money into the service, but soon realized that it was not legitimate. Daily Weather Forecast Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. The agents reportedly used prepared scripts, some that were written by Santulan, that contained false and misleading statements about how the market was going to crash and their retirement accounts would be frozen under a new unpublicized law. Severe Weather Alert If you were implanted with an Exactech knee or ankle replacement insert or hip replacement liner, you may be eligible for compensation. Self-directed accounts are placed with a custodian, but do not afford the same investor protections as traditional IRAs. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court alleges that Safeguard Metals violated the federal Commodity Exchange Act by advising elderly "investors" to cash out their savings and retirement . In fact, the silver coins were significantly less valuable than the defendants claimed, based on the resale prices the firm marketed and promoted. The joint effort is the second nationwide fraud action against precious metals dealers by the CFTC with NASAA state securities regulators. According to the complaint, Safeguard obtained approximately $67 million from the sale of coins to more than 450 mostly elderly, retail investors, and kept approximately $25.5 million in mark ups. The SECs complaint alleged that between January 2017 and July 2021, Safeguard and Santulan acted as investment advisers and convinced investors to sell their existing securities, transfer the proceeds of hte sale into a self-directed Individual Retirement Account, and invest the proceeds into gold and silver coins. The Idaho Department of Finance encourages investors to come forward if they suspect they have been targeted by similar precious metals investment schemes. Safeguard obtained approximately $67 million from the sale of coins to more than 450 mostly elderly, retail investors, and kept approximately $25.5 million in mark ups. Given the complexity of investment products, our jobs have never been more important, or more demanding.. According to the complaint, Safeguard obtained approximately $67 million from the sale of coins to more than 450 mostly elderly, retail investors, and kept approximately $25.5 million in mark ups. The Purpose Of Filing A Baby Food Heavy Metals Lawsuit This business is in an industry that may require professional licensing, bonding or registration. As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. The complaint charges defendants Safeguard Metals LLC and its principal, Jeffrey Santulan a/k/a Jeffrey Hill with executing an ongoing nationwide fraud that solicited and received approximately $68 million in investor funds to purchase precious metals and fraudulently overpriced silver coins. Today roughly half of all U.S. households rely on the securities markets to plan and prepare for their . Doug has written a book to help investors understand how gold and silver fit into a diversified portfolio, how to buy gold and silver, and what metals to buy. The complaint alleges defendants operated a fraudulent precious metals investment scheme attracting more than 450 investors and $68 million nation-wide. Shop Now. "I spoke to Mr Sonn on a complex legal matter. We provide detailed analysis for Gold IRAs and Silver IRAs. var text; INVESTORS: The SEC charged Safeguard Metals, LLC and its owner Jeffrey Santulan for engaging in a multi-million dollar fraudulent scheme that reportedly targeted retirees. According to the complaint, the defendants deceived customers into purchasing precious metals through false and misleading statements, including about the risk and safety of their investments in traditional retirement accounts. SACRAMENTO As part of a nationwide effort, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), in partnership with the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and 26 other state regulators, filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against a precious metals dealer and its owner for perpetrating a $68 million fraudulent scheme that targeted the elderly. text = text.replace("https://docqnet.dfpi.ca.gov/LicenseSearch/LicenseDetails/","https://portal.dfpi.ca.gov/csp?id=ssp_license_search"); 12. He is the only member of . By connecting to the website, you acknowledge that you understand SGM's mission. allPs[i].innerHTML = text; You can reach us by phone at 844-689-5754 or via e-mail. The complaint further alleges that Safeguard's sales agents used prepared scripts, some written by Santulan, that were filled with false and misleading statements about how the market was going to crash and how their retirement accounts would be frozen under a new 'unpublicized' law. BBB is here to help. We hope the message is coming across loud and clear to the precious metals industry: We will not tolerate deception and fraud in the commodities industry and are committed to holding bad actors accountable for their actions.. The metals.com scheme affected 1600 seniors nation-wide and involved $185 million. Safeguard Metals is located in Woodland Hills, California, and Jeffrey Santulan resides in Tarzana, California. February 4, 2022 0 Attorney General Todd Rokita today filed a lawsuit with 26 other states and a federal agency against Safeguard Metals, a business that schemed to trick elderly victims into investing in wildly overvalued precious metals. CoinWeek does not buy or sell coins or numismatic material and No endorsement or affiliation to or from CoinWeek.com is made. Safeguard Metals is believed to be an offshoot of another company that was shut down several years earlier in Texas, and a successful Safeguard Metals broker opened his own shop recently to. Indiana AG files lawsuit against precious metals company accused of bilking seniors. The SEC issued a litigation release on February 2, 2022 announcing charges against Safeguard Metals, LLC and its owner, Jeffrey Santulan. The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Safeguard Metals LLC, and its owner, Jeffrey Santulan, for engaging in a multimillion dollar fraudulent scheme involving hundreds of investors who were at or near retirement age. protection metal excessive charge and Cheat markup on silver coins. I was sold an expensive, fabricated coin at an almost 100% commission. All News, Articles, Commentary and Opinions are contributed by the author(s), with or without compensation, who are solely responsible for the content, and do not represent CoinWeek Management. this is against Safeguard Metals. ON SALE. For more information, please read our full privacy policy. for(i=0;i Is La Familia Michoacana Still Active, What Time Do Bouncers Get On The Door At Wetherspoons, The Melancholy Hussar Of The German Legion Short Summary, Articles S