I usually have a lot to say. I just know when to keep it to myself.
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just curious. glty too :)
TASR: 14.37 TASER International Receives Follow-On Order From France For 1,249 TASER X26 Electronic Control Devices
Monday September 17, 7:30 am ET
Shares Outstanding: 62.93M
Float: 58.18M
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 17, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- TASER International, Inc. (NasdaqGS:TASR - News), a market leader in advanced electronic control devices, today announced that it received a follow-on order from the French Ministry of the Interior for 1,249 TASER(r) X26 electronic control devices, 445 TASER CAM units, and related accessories for the French Gendarmerie and the French National Police. This order is a continuation of the tender issued in 2006 which authorized the French government to purchase and deploy TASER devices to law enforcement agencies in France.
``We are pleased to see the continual advancement of the ongoing TASER program in France,' said Tom Smith, Chairman and Founder of TASER International. ``This is the second follow-on shipment authorized under a tender awarded to our French distributor during the third quarter of 2006. This tender authorized the French Government to purchase of up to 5,000 TASER systems.'
This order is anticipated to ship in the third and fourth quarters of 2007.
About TASER International, Inc.
TASER International's products protect life. TASER provides advanced Electronic Control Devices (ECDs) for use in the law enforcement, medical, military, corrections, professional security, and personal protection markets. TASER devices use proprietary technology to incapacitate dangerous, combative, or high-risk subjects who pose a risk to law enforcement officers, innocent citizens, or themselves in a manner that is generally recognized as a safer alternative to other uses of force. For more information please call TASER International at (800) 978-2737 or visit our website at http://www.TASER.com.
The TASER International logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2931
Note to Investors
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the ``Securities Act'), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the ``Exchange Act'), including statements, without limitation, regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking information is based upon current information and expectations regarding TASER International. These estimates and statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, are not guarantees of future performance, and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied, or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.
TASER International assumes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release. These statements are qualified by important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include but are not limited to: (1) market acceptance of our products; (2) our ability to establish and expand direct and indirect distribution channels; (3) our ability to attract and retain the endorsement of key opinion-leaders in the law enforcement community; (4) the level of product technology and price competition for our products; (5) the degree and rate of growth of the markets in which we compete and the accompanying demand for our products; (6) risks associated with rapid technological change and new product introductions; (7) competition; (8) litigation including lawsuits resulting from alleged product related injuries and death; (9) media publicity concerning allegations of deaths and injuries occurring after use of the TASER device and the negative effect this publicity could have on our sales; (10) TASER device tests and reports; (11) product quality; (12) implementation of manufacturing automation; (13) potential fluctuations in our quarterly operating results; (14) financial and budgetary constraints of prospects and customers; (15) order delays; (16) dependence upon sole and limited source suppliers; (17) negative reports concerning the TASER device; (18) fluctuations in component pricing; (19) government regulations and inquiries; (20) dependence upon key employees and our ability to retain employees; (21) execution and implementation risks of new technology; (22) ramping manufacturing production to meet demand; (23) medical and safety studies; (24) field test results; and (25) other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, those factors detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Form 10-Qs.
The statements made herein are independent statements of TASER International. The inclusion of any third parties does not represent an endorsement of any TASER International products or services by any such third parties.
Contact:
TASER International, Inc.
Steve Tuttle, Vice President of Communications
Media ONLY Hotline: (480) 444-4000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: TASER International, Inc.
http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/070917/126750.html
O.J. Simpson ordered held without bail
By RYAN NAKASHIMA, Associated Press Writer
18 minutes ago
LAS VEGAS - Police arrested O.J. Simpson on Sunday, saying he was part of an armed group who burst into a Las Vegas hotel room and snatched memorabilia that documented his own sports career, long ago eclipsed by scandal.
The arrest starts a new legal odyssey for the fallen football star who more than a decade ago was acquitted of the slayings of his ex-wife and a friend, and opens the possibility he could spend decades behind bars.
Simpson was taken away from The Palms casino-hotel by plainclothes officers a day after the arrest of a golfing buddy who police say accompanied him with a gun in the Thursday night holdup. Handcuffed and wearing a golf shirt and jeans, Simpson was placed in an SUV. He was later ordered by a judge to be held without bail, police said.
"He was very cooperative, there were no issues," Capt. James Dillon said.
Simpson was at the Clark County Detention Center on Sunday night for booking on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit a crime and burglary with a firearm, police said. The district attorney, meanwhile, said he expected Simpson to ultimately be charged with seven felonies and one gross misdemeanor.
If convicted of the booking charges, Simpson would face up to 30 years in state prison on each robbery count alone.
"He is facing a lot of time," said Clark County District Attorney David Roger.
Simpson, 60, has said he and other people were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.
Simpson told The Associated Press on Saturday that he did not call the police to help reclaim the items because he has found the police unresponsive to him ever since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were killed in 1994.
"The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me," he said, noting that whenever he has called the police "It just becomes a story about O.J."
Police did not allege that Simpson personally carried a weapon in the incident.
"We don't have any information to lead us to believe he was armed even based on those charges," said police Lt. Clint Nichols.
Police said they seized two firearms involved in the robbery along with sports memorabilia, mostly signed by Simpson. They also said they recovered collectible baseballs and Joe Montana cleats at private residences early Sunday on three search warrants. But "whether or not the property belonged to Mr. Simpson is a matter of debate," Nichols said.
Walter Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., was arrested Saturday night on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon. Alexander, who was described as one of Simpson's golfing buddies, was released without bail Saturday night.
"Walter was one of the two subjects who had a gun," Capt. James Dillon said.
Robert Dennis Rentzer, a Los Angeles lawyer representing Alexander, said he was able to arrange his client's release from custody, but wasn't familiar with the allegations.
Police also are seeking four men: Clarence Stewart, 53, of Las Vegas, Michael McClinton, 49, of Las Vegas, Tom Scotto, whose age and hometown were not known, and another man who was not identified.
Simpson, a Heisman Trophy winner, ex-NFL star and actor, lives near Miami and has been a tabloid staple since his ex-wife and Goldman were killed. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges, but a jury later held him liable for the killings in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, welcomed the possibility that Simpson could go to prison.
"He's believed for years, decades, that he's entitled to do anything he wants, and the legal system and society has basically agreed with him," Goldman said. "This time, hopefully, he'll get what he deserves. He'll get jail time."
Police said Sunday that Simpson asked to speak with his lawyer before proceeding with an interview, although he spoke several times with investigators before his arrest. The attorney, Yale Galanter, said that he was attempting to get Simpson released.
"Obviously we intend to fight these charges vigorously. We believe it is an extremely defensible case based on conflicting witness statements, flip-flopping by witnesses and witnesses making deals with the government to flip," he said.
Simpson said auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to say some collectors were selling some of his items. Riccio set up a meeting with collectors under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying Simpson's items.
Simpson said he was accompanied by several men he met at a wedding cocktail party, and they took the collectibles.
Alfred Beardsley, one of the sports memorabilia collectors who was in the hotel room, has said he wants the case dropped and that he's "on O.J.'s side."
"It's like a bad dream," Beardsley said. "I'm sad that O.J. is in custody."
Beardsley said he blames the whole thing on Riccio. "If they don't charge Riccio I will be very upset. That guy lied to O.J. and got him all pumped up," he said.
Simpson's arrest came just days after the Goldman family published a book that Simpson had written under the title, "If I Did It" about how he would have committed the killings of his ex-wife and Goldman had he actually done it.
After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it "If I Did It: The Confessions of the Killer." During the weekend, the book was the hottest seller in the country, hitting No. 1 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.
___
Associated Press Writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix and John Antczak, Thomas Watkins and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070917/ap_on_re_us/simpson_questioned
ZECCO: I'm looking for opinions from any users of this free brokerage. They are sponsoring some of Cramers stuff now, and gaining popularity. Too good to be true? I wonder how the service is with their $0.00 trades.
http://www.zecco.com/Default.aspx
At the heart of our market-busting change lies our promise of zero dollar trade commissions. That’s right. The price war is over. You won. You can make up to 10 trades in any one day up to a total of 40 trades a month at no cost, and after that you only have to pay a paltry $3.50 per stock trade. Option trades only cost $3.50 plus $.60 a contract.
Thanks Shelly. Here's one more weekend warrior,
with about 4558 posts and 1 on topic non-spam post, lol :
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profile.asp?user=33935
Traders Expo in Las Vegas (11/15 -- 11/18)
ihub board:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/chair_board.asp?board_id=2944
from the ibox of above linked board
If you're planning to attend the BIG, BIG Traders Expo in Las Vegas (11/15 -- 11/18), this would be a good place to state your intentions. That way, people who don't like you will know, and they can make alternate plans for the weekend.
http://www.lasvegastradersexpo.com/
It's official for Vegas. IHub has secured a spot for a booth at the Expo. ADVFN/SI/iHub
=====I'll manage the list below of those going...just post to me [Matt] or PM me and I'll add you.=========
List of Those Going to Expo/Vegas 2007:
Clem Chambers and the Brits
Bob Zumbrunnen
Matt Brown and Ken Scordo in the Presidential Suite @ Circus Circus
Wantoberich and Mrs.Wantoberich
Timhyma
Rayrohn
ONEBGG (Gary)
Alydyr NKA level_playing_field
DigiTech
No Moderator
IH Admin [Beelzebub]
cbfromli
mick
VIP Section
olico ™ [Wynn, Salon Suite]
no3putts1
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=2944
true. I've never been to that country, lol.
I wasn't sure if that person was joking or not, nostinkinc.
Let's hope it was in jest... and not just bad taste.
I agree with you.
it's a premium board. I don't think squadders can do much on those boards.
however, it relates well to our earlier discussion here on the marking system.
Matt, some links around tricking for membermarks- is this
ok to do? No, it's not what the ad says and somebody else
brought it to my attention, lol:
Posted by: Charlatan
In reply to: None Date:9/16/2007 8:38:18 PM
Post #of 22
Nakid Chicks!!!!!!
Click here to see nakid chicks!! http://tinyurl.com/2uz53w
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=22910131
A first look into the VISA files:
Visa Inc. (0001403161)
SIC: 7389 - Services-Business Services, NEC
State location: CA | State of Inc.: DE | Fiscal Year End: 0930
SEC FILES
http://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0001403161&owner=include&c....
You can at least look at the S4 and it's ammendments thus far, as well as some 425's ....
Note: Of all the IPOs on deck, the two in bold are the only ones with a positive net income. Looks to be a rocky autumn.
IPO Calendar - All Upcoming IPOs
All IPOs On Deck
Company Name
Symbol Underwriter Price Range
Shares Trade Date
athenahealth
ATHN Goldman Sachs
Merrill Lynch $14.00-$16.00
6.3 mil Week of 9/17
ZARS Pharma
ZARS Cowen & Company
CIBC World Markets $14.00-$16.00
5.0 mil Week of 9/17
Babcock & Brown Air LTD
FLY Morgan Stanley
Citi $22.00-$24.00
18.7 mil Week of 9/24
BioHeart*
BHRT Merriman Curhan Ford
Dawson James $14.00-$16.00
3.6 mil Week of 9/24
Venture Financial Group
VNBK Keefe Bruyette Woods
D.A. Davidson $21.00-$23.00
1.8 mil Week of 9/24
Constant Contact
CTCT CIBC World Markets
Thomas Weisel $12.00-$14.00
6.7 mil Week of 10/1
Liberty Acquisition Holdings*
LIA.U Citi
Lehman Brothers $10.00-$10.00
75.0 mil Week of 10/1
Merrion Pharmaceuticals*
MERR Punk Ziegel
Goodbody $10.00-$12.00
4.0 mil Week of 10/1
* New Terms
BioHeart - We will not issue research on this IPO.
Liberty Acquisition Holdings - We will not issue research on this IPO.
Merrion Pharmaceuticals - We will not issue research on this IPO.
http://www.ipohome.com/marketwatch/ondeck.asp
Spam artist to premium boards:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/profile.asp?User=54314
Hi marc. Browsing the lineups of IPO thus far- ENP appears to have the strongest numbers so far, imho.
Market Cap $522,800,000
Revenues $82,000,000
Net Income $18,000,000
Positive net income, coupled with an impressive group of underwriters, and only 9 mil shares for the offering, makes
this an attractive IPO:
UBS Investment Bank
Lehman Brothers
A.G. Edwards
Credit Suisse
Raymond James
RBC Capital Markets
Not sure if you jumped in on the first day or now, but you can see by the chart below that it's following a typical drop off in interest. This tells me to watch it on the fifth to sixth trading day for entry. You want it to turn north again on those days. If it doesn't watch it again for a turn around the 15 th trading day to see if it's near bottom, imho- before the change of anticipation which rides until the end of the quiet period on ENP scheduled for October 21st.
Week Of Sept 24: Venture Financial Group (VNBK)
Venture Financial Group (VNBK)
To price on or about SEPT 24
prospectus: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/892449/000095013407019747/v31640a1sv1za.htm
Industry: Bank holding company
Market Cap $197,900,000
Revenues $47,000,000
Net Income $12,000,000
Price Range $21.00 - $23.00
Shares Offered 1.8 mm
Company Address 1495 Wilmington Dr., P.O. Box 970
DuPont, WA
(253) 441-4000
http://www.venture-bank.com
Underwriters
Keefe Bruyette Woods
D.A. Davidson
Andrew Worden, 41, runs Barron Partners, a $150 million hedge fund that has invested $85 million in pipes since 2003. The fund flogs its expertise in microcap companies. It doesn't promote the fact that Worden in 1994 pleaded guilty to wire fraud--he stiffed brokers on shares they bought for him that decreased in value--and served two years' probation. "I was 23 years old," Worden says of his indiscretions, which were not prosecuted for five years.
In March 2005 Barron Partners invested $1.5 million in Cordia Corp. (otcbb: CORG.OB - news - people ), a Winter Garden, Fla. Internet-phone outfit 54% owned by Alexander G. Minella, who in 1993 was sentenced to up to six years in prison. Minella, then president of broker Wakefield Financial Corp., pleaded guilty to having "secretly rigged the trading in certain Nasdaq securities" by getting brokers to trade among themselves to manipulate prices.
Corey Ribotsky, 36, heads N.I.R. Group, a handful of Roslyn, N.Y. hedge funds with $630 million under management. His first business partner successfully sued him for stealing away their marketing and consulting firm. The florist at Ribotsky's wedding filed a $7,275 claim against him for failing to pay the bill.
So how does he do as a hedge fund manager? A Ribotsky PIPE, on average, precedes a stock-price drop of 54% a year after the deal, according to PlacementTracker. That still works for Ribotsky because of the way he structures a PIPE: He receives debt securities convertible into discounted stock, in an amount determined by dividing the principal by the price of the shares at the time of conversion, less a steep discount. The further a stock falls, the more shares he gets.
Since Ribotsky invested $1.5 million in 2005, shares in Med Gen (otcbb: MDGN.OB - news - people ) are down from $1 on the o-t-c bulletin board to a fraction of a penny. The Boca Raton, Fla. company had less than $1 million in sales from an antisnoring spray, diet pills and supplements. (Its biggest shareholder and chief executive is Paul B. Kravitz, the former president of AppleTree Cos., who paid a $25,000 penalty in 1996 to settle SEC claims that he failed to tell investors in an AppleTree offering that he planned to invest $250,000 in a gambling casino.) Ribotsky converted the debt into 171 million shares of Med Gen, at discounts of 40%, by September 2006. Did he sell his stake, triggering the stock-price plunge? N.I.R. lawyer Jonathan Schechter declines to say. "It is not us that makes a company lose its value--maybe a company hasn't executed its business plan," he says, adding that N.I.R. never shorts a stock.
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=21312328&txt2find=worden+
the full read
Posted by: Charlatan
In reply to: None Date:7/17/2007 2:00:21 PM
Post #of 56614
Good Article on PIPES...
May not be new but I just came across it..
Money & Investing
Sewer Pipes
Nathan Vardi 02.12.07
Forbes.com
Hedge funds are posting nice returns from deals that may involve ex-cons, stock scammers--even the Mob.
If your entrepreneurial venture were desperate for capital, would you get it from a hedge fund? Sometimes that's not such a good idea. Consider Laurus Master Fund. The Cayman Islands hedge fund opened with $5 million under management in 2001 and has grown to $1.6 billion making investments in so-called PIPEs, or private investments in public equities.
In those deals the fund invests in a cash-starved, thinly traded public company. In exchange it gets securities--notes that charge interest, warrants and options--convertible into common shares of the company. Laurus claims it has achieved an annualized net return of 18.5% since inception. The people running Laurus from New York--brothers Eugene Grin, 49, and David Grin, 37--are making out pretty well, too. In addition to the standard 2% of assets and 20% cut of profits, they also collect a closing fee, an average 3.5% of each deal, which they liken to points on a mortgage. As for the companies they invest in? Not so well. On average they lose 30% of their stock price within a year of signing a Laurus pipe, says PlacementTracker, a San Diego research service.
PIPEs are a big business, drawing $28 billion last year from hedge funds. Some of the companies raising the capital are large, but most are desperate indeed, too small or too weak financially to raise money with a public stock offering. Some of the hedge funds providing the money are not financiers that you would select if you had a choice.
Originally from Ukraine, Eugene Grin became a vacuum cleaner salesman when he landed in the U.S. in 1979. Then he worked as a broker of penny stocks, among other investments, at F.N. Wolf & Co., the boiler room shut down by regulators in 1994. At Wolf one of Grin's clients was Gilbert Bornstein, a 54-year-old unemployed man who invested $32,000 with Grin after being convinced he could safely double his money through penny stocks. (Grin says he never made that claim.) Bornstein was soon stuck with $27,000 in losses. Nine years later a New York State judge determined that Grin owed Bornstein $40,000. Grin has yet to pay that bill, and the judgment remains outstanding. "He was superwealthy," Grin shrugs, by way of an excuse. "There was money in the family."
Today Grin and his younger brother, David, still traffic in penny stocks. But they do so through PIPEs. Hedge funds love these deals because the shares they get are often priced at a discount to the market to compensate for the fact that they can't be traded until they are registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can take months. Meantime, though, hedge funds can value those PIPE warrants and options pretty much any way they want and calculate their net asset value accordingly. The larger the gain in a fund's NAV, of course, the more attractive it is to new investors.
And the more attention these deals may draw from regulators. "Improper trading practices in connection with PIPEs is a concern," says David Markowitz, an SEC assistant regional director in New York. "It's an area that SEC enforcement is looking at." The feds have so far focused on the improper shorting of stock. It is mighty tempting for a PIPE buyer to double-cross the company it is investing in by shorting the company's stock and using the conversion privileges with the PIPE investment to cover its short position. That earns the investor a quick spread but wrecks the target's ability to raise more equity capital. Such shorting is forbidden by Section 5 of the Securities Act. In September a U.S. Attorney charged Hilary Shane, a former hedge fund manager, with insider trading, accusing her of shorting Compudyne's stock after learning that Compudyne was contemplating a pipe fundraising. On Jan. 4 Joseph Spiegel, a onetime portfolio manager for a New York hedge fund, settled SEC allegations of his using PIPE shares to cover short trades and paid a $110,000 penalty.
Andrew Worden, 41, runs Barron Partners, a $150 million hedge fund that has invested $85 million in pipes since 2003. The fund flogs its expertise in microcap companies. It doesn't promote the fact that Worden in 1994 pleaded guilty to wire fraud--he stiffed brokers on shares they bought for him that decreased in value--and served two years' probation. "I was 23 years old," Worden says of his indiscretions, which were not prosecuted for five years.
In March 2005 Barron Partners invested $1.5 million in Cordia Corp. (otcbb: CORG.OB - news - people ), a Winter Garden, Fla. Internet-phone outfit 54% owned by Alexander G. Minella, who in 1993 was sentenced to up to six years in prison. Minella, then president of broker Wakefield Financial Corp., pleaded guilty to having "secretly rigged the trading in certain Nasdaq securities" by getting brokers to trade among themselves to manipulate prices.
Corey Ribotsky, 36, heads N.I.R. Group, a handful of Roslyn, N.Y. hedge funds with $630 million under management. His first business partner successfully sued him for stealing away their marketing and consulting firm. The florist at Ribotsky's wedding filed a $7,275 claim against him for failing to pay the bill.
So how does he do as a hedge fund manager? A Ribotsky PIPE, on average, precedes a stock-price drop of 54% a year after the deal, according to PlacementTracker. That still works for Ribotsky because of the way he structures a PIPE: He receives debt securities convertible into discounted stock, in an amount determined by dividing the principal by the price of the shares at the time of conversion, less a steep discount. The further a stock falls, the more shares he gets.
Since Ribotsky invested $1.5 million in 2005, shares in Med Gen (otcbb: MDGN.OB - news - people ) are down from $1 on the o-t-c bulletin board to a fraction of a penny. The Boca Raton, Fla. company had less than $1 million in sales from an antisnoring spray, diet pills and supplements. (Its biggest shareholder and chief executive is Paul B. Kravitz, the former president of AppleTree Cos., who paid a $25,000 penalty in 1996 to settle SEC claims that he failed to tell investors in an AppleTree offering that he planned to invest $250,000 in a gambling casino.) Ribotsky converted the debt into 171 million shares of Med Gen, at discounts of 40%, by September 2006. Did he sell his stake, triggering the stock-price plunge? N.I.R. lawyer Jonathan Schechter declines to say. "It is not us that makes a company lose its value--maybe a company hasn't executed its business plan," he says, adding that N.I.R. never shorts a stock.
One of Ribotsky's PIPEs, a $1 million investment in Roanoke Technology (otcbb: RNKE.OB - news - people ), a Rocky Mount, N.C. Web site designer, allowed N.I.R. to purchase newly issued shares at a discount of 50%; Roanoke's shares then traded hands on the o-t-c bulletin board at 12 cents. After Ribotsky sued Roanoke when it didn't meet its loan payments, Roanoke countersued, claiming that N.I.R.'s selloff of shares was destroying the company. Indeed, trading volume of Roanoke stock jumped from 180,000 to 2.4 million shares on the days Ribotsky's funds filed conversion notices, say court documents, and the stock price plunged to less than a penny. Both suits were settled. Roanoke chief David L. Smith Jr. ended up leaving the company and settling SEC charges in August 2006 that he improperly issued stock to consultants who sold them for $7 million and kicked back $4 million to him. Smith has been barred from acting as an officer or director of a public company.
When it comes to dicey partners, though, few are as accomplished as the Grins. They financed Francis O'Donnell, who has gotten to know the feds pretty well. Taking over as chief of Searchhound.com, an o-t-c bulletin board stock in 2003, O'Donnell changed its name to Coach Industries (otcbb: CIGI - news - people ), quickly built up a controlling stake in the Cooper City, Fla. firm and started acquiring limousine companies. Laurus backed him with a $6 million loan. On Jan. 5 O'Donnell pleaded guilty to being an associate of the Genovese crime family. The indictment also claimed that an FBI agent posing as a drug dealer was asked to launder proceeds through Coach in exchange for a fee. In addition O'Donnell is accused of luring a victim to his office, where Clement (Clemmie) Santoro allegedly held a gun to his head and demanded a $1.5 million payment.
The Grins invested $1.5 million in April 2004 with Magic Lantern Group, which marketed Canadian educational videos. Their introduction to the company came through National Financial Communications , owned by Geoffrey Eiten, a Needham, Mass. newsletter writer who flogged companies and claimed to show readers "how to make 5,000%" on their money. Magic Lantern's biggest backer was Lancer Management Group, a New York City hedge fund that blew up amid accusations of fraud.
Magic Lantern, which lost $15.9 million on sales of $2.7 million in 2004, began to disintegrate. Eiten was sued in September 2006 by William Galvin, Massachusetts secretary of state, for engaging in "widespread 'pump and dump' transactions by publicly promoting certain stocks at the same time he was selling them." Galvin released chummy e-mails between Eugene Grin and Eiten's company suggesting they team up to sell Magic Lantern shares. Eiten denies any wrongdoing. Laurus managed to eke out what it calls "a nominal profit" before Magic Lantern's stock collapsed.
In November 2004 Laurus agreed to lend Thomas Equipment, (amex: THM - news - people ) which makes skid loaders and hydraulic equipment in Canada, $22 million to finance acquisitions and operations. At the time the stock traded at 88 cents. Most of Laurus' loans were convertible into stock at prices of $1.50 a share; the Grins also bought 2 million shares for a penny each and received options to purchase 4 million more for a cent apiece. Helped by a steady stream of press releases, Thomas shares touched $8.99 in January 2005 on light volume.
What was driving the stock? James Patty, former interim chief executive at Thomas and a current board member, says that David Grin was constantly focused on Thomas Equipment's share price, even though the lack of liquidity in the stock meant that Laurus could not sell too many shares without driving down the price. Word came down from David Grin, says Patty, "that he couldn't allow that type of hit to his portfolio." Why? "My assumption would be he was looking at a valuation of the company in order to attract additional money into his fund," Patty says.
Ridiculous, says Eugene Grin. The effect of Thomas' high stock price on Laurus' net asset value "was never material." His valuation model, he claims, discounts severely for the lack of trading volume in a stock like Thomas. A good thing for Laurus: Thomas Equipment's two main units have filed for insolvency in Canada; it was yanked off the American Stock Exchange and now trades for 8 cents.
Eugene Grin says he never shorts a stock. He also insists that Laurus provides a valuable service--and is more like a bank than a hedge fund. "We have tens of thousands of people working because of our investments," he says. "It's a beautiful thing."
RE: Andrew B. Worden - S.E.C. Files Fraud Charges
Published: March 16, 1990
LEAD: Just out of college, Andrew B. Worden opened at least 30 brokerage accounts and defrauded several brokerage firms out of more than $130,000 through the practice known as free riding, the Securities and Exchange charged yesterday.
Just out of college, Andrew B. Worden opened at least 30 brokerage accounts and defrauded several brokerage firms out of more than $130,000 through the practice known as free riding, the Securities and Exchange charged yesterday.
Mr. Worden, a 1988 graduate of Harvard, placed orders to buy securities with numerous brokers, the S.E.C. said in civil charges filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
'He paid for transactions that were profitable, but failed to honor unprofitable trades,' the S.E.C. said in asking that he be enjoined from violating securities laws and ordered to provide details of all his securities transactions.
Among the brokerage firms that the S.E.C. said suffered losses were Alex. Brown & Sons Inc. of Baltimore, Wessels, Arnold & Henderson of Minneapolis and Underwood, Neuhaus & Company of Houston.
Mr. Worden, who the S.E.C. said was in his early 20's, could not be reached for comment because there was no telephone number listed for him at the Manhattan address given by the commission.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE5D61130F935A25750C0A966958260
excellent t/a, thank you !
on a roll in a barrel, lol- yup, oil is all the buzz these days no doubt:
np- now make sure to couple it with a good ta perspective or several. I'm not a great identifyer of indicators, like some others on this board. I used to think watching Mac-D was something with a drive thru.
lol- plot your entries/exits here, imho. Nice too, you can set up a trailing stop loss if you jump in, profit and want to ride it a bit. Use it. Keep updating it as the stock rises, jmho.
This is the NYSE- better regulated than the others, and SEC plays ISPY with these tickers. :)
(ps- my post may be review for you, but there are others here who never considered the NYSE for trading- and you and I both know what EGY can do sometimes)
agreed. Thru the date of record expect a few nice swings.
Some will want to get the rights offer, and some really don't care to hold for the discount. Regardless, imho, people usually go a little wacky to get in on a good offer like a heightened divi or rights. This stock isn't too bad (price) for some of the OTC players, and for those who owned it up in the 10's- they will love to participate in a 50% offer. I'm guessing many in the 10's "averaged down" unhappily and this should set them even, or close to it.
Enjoy the rallies on this one. IMHO.
I expect EGY to do well this week. People jumping in for the offering.
Stick around and hold or enjoy the ride up to the to the record date, imho.
your choice. glty
well, according to their rights offering....come one come all:
The Shareholders Rights Plan
The Plan creates a dividend of one right for each outstanding share of the Company's Common Stock.
The rights are represented by and traded with the Company's Common Stock. Initially, there will be no separate certificates or market for the rights.
The rights do not separate from the Common Stock unless one or both of the following conditions are met: a public announcement that a person has acquired 15% or more of the Common Stock of the Company, or a tender or exchange offer is made which, if completed, would result in the bidder beneficially owning 15% or more of the Common Stock of the Company.
Should either of the aforementioned conditions be met and the rights become exercisable, each right will entitle the holder thereof to buy 1/1,000th of a share of the Company's Series B Preferred Stock at an exercise price of $20.00. Each fractional share of the Series B Preferred Stock will essentially be the economic equivalent of one share of Common Stock.
Under certain circumstances the rights entitle the holders to buy the Company's stock at a 50% discount.
In the event that (1) the Company is the surviving corporation in a merger or other business combination with an entity that owns 15% or more of the Company's outstanding stock; (2) any person shall acquire beneficial ownership of 15% of the Company's outstanding stock; or (3) there is any type of recapitalization of the Company that results in an increase by more than 1% the proportionate share of equity securities of the Company owned by a person who owns 15% or more of the Company's outstanding stock, each right holder will have the option to buy for the purchase price Common Stock of the Company having a value equal to two times the purchase price of the right.
Under certain circumstances the rights entitle the holders to buy shares of the acquiror's Common Stock at a 50% discount. In the event that, at any time after a person has acquired 15% or more of the Company's Common Stock, (1) the Company enters into a merger or other business combination transaction in which the Company is not the surviving corporation; (2) the Company is the surviving corporation in a transaction in which all or part of the Common Stock is exchanged for cash, property or securities of any other person; or (3) more than 50% of the assets, cash flow or earning power of the Company is sold, each right holder will have the option to buy for the purchase price stock of the acquiring company having a value equal to two times the purchase price of the right.
The rights may be redeemed by the Company for $0.001 per right at any time until the first public announcement of the acquisition of beneficial ownership of 15% of the Company's Common Stock.
The plan being adopted is intended to enable all stockholders to realize the long-term value of their investment in the Company by protecting them in the event of an unfair or coercive takeover attempt.
The distribution of the rights will be made to stockholders of record as of September 28, 2007. Stockholders of record will receive a separate mailing describing the Plan and a copy of the Plan containing all the provisions of the new rights will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by September 19, 2007. The Company's Plan is similar to those adopted by many other companies.
what if they simply weren't publicly noted? I mark posters that I like to follow for one reason or another. I don't make public my "favorites" list and perhaps it's nobody's business how many posters have them marked....
....or like len suggested....if the poster is premium, then it can be public?
I could take it or leave it personally. I have yet to buy something because somebody has 1000 marks.
I only buy Churak's picks anyhow.
lol
"...The only reason it has caught peoples attention is because it's showing up on stock scans..."
Well, perhaps that and the "chickenman" (former ihubber).
He started spreading the word on June 26th via email campaign.
---------------------------------
Subject: BLTA - (Baltia Airlines) unknown penny stock catching fire ........
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:07:40 -0500
BLTA - unknown to most in Pennyland, Baltia Airlines is just about to
receive FAA approval whereby they can launch their planned service from
JFK
to the following cities that badly need the service:
http://www.baltia.com/
St. Petersburg
Riga
Vilnius
Tallinn
Minsk
Kiev
Moscow
The company will begin operations with one 747-200 and their first
destination is St. Petersburg. They are about to close their private
placement and all that they needed to raise was $2 million. The company
states they will only fill about 25% of the demand for these routes,
thus
they expect no less than an average of 68% occupancy and they only need
40%
to break even and that's even with the high cost of fuel.
Current O/S are 120 million and the float is 15 million. Fully diluted
and
after the placement, the company will have a mazimum of 180 million
O/S. The
company expects an annual net profit of $8 million just for the St.
Petersburg route alone.
BLTA's board on IHUB has only 4 "boardmarks," thus you can see no one
knows
about this company and the building excitement behind it.
At .06 and fully reporting with audited financials, definitely count me
in.
Volume is really starting to catch fire and no one can argue with the
chart
.....
http://stockcharts.com/c-sc/sc?s=BLTA&p=DAILY&b=5&g=0&i=0&r=4901
hmm. i cannot yet find a recent rights offering would would then allow all shareholders to participate....
in my other window I can sight one from 1997- let me dig further.
I used to follow EGY closely along with Serfdom, and we watched it past 9 bucks (last year?) .....
let me take a lookie
Perhaps a nice opportunity for you to relax. Don't open your windows though- I swear there are penguins and eskimos outside tonight.
EGY had afterhours:
Vaalco Energy OKs Stock Buyback Plan
Friday September 14, 6:40 pm ET
Vaalco Energy Board Approves Buyback of Up to $20 Million in Stock, Adopts 'Poison-Pill' Plan
HOUSTON (AP) -- Independent oil and gas producer Vaalco Energy Inc. said Friday its board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $20 million of the company's stock and has adopted a stockholder rights plan.
Shares of the company's common stock will be purchased on the open market or through privately held negotiations during the next 12 months. Vaalco said it currently has 60.3 million shares outstanding.
The stockholder rights plan entitles stockholders, under certain circumstances, to buy the company's stock at a 50 percent discount. The so-called "poison-pill" provision is designed to make it more costly and difficult for an unwanted suitor to make a hostile takeover bid.
Under terms of the plan, shareholders of record as of Sept. 28 will be able to receive rights to buy fractional shares of a series of preferred stock at an exercise price of $20. Each fractional share will essentially be the economic equivalent of one share of common stock.
Rights will be distributed as a dividend and will trade with the company's common stock. The rights will become exercisable if a person or group acquires 15 percent or more of the company's common stock.
Shares of Vaalco Energy rose 1 penny to close at $4.21, and gained 14 cents to $4.35 in aftermarket trading.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070914/vaalco_energy_buyback.html?.v=1
3) ONLY THOSE MEMBERS who are premium (on average more interested in IHUB, more interested in stocks, and more likely to be serious about personmarking)
In areas more related to marketing and profit for the site- that's a great suggestion, len.
As for the system on a whole- still mulling it over-
If I were admin though, I'd strongly consider the above suggestion.
imho
:)
i'm a fan of upromise as well. I have linked most of my
family to the accounts. I say- why not?
Hi. I'm choosing NOT to disclose my compensation
from Nike, because there isn't any.
;)
I'd love for them to need me to pump their stock or their company- but they don't need me to-
they have athletes for that game.
Household names can be so darn picky.
(NKE to post earnings on Thursday, for anyone interested
in pre-earnings plays)
lol
swoosh!
"According to technical perspective that I learned on infinitistocks.com the rsi 2 is overbought 99.9 ouch. BLTA"
It warms my heart when people learn things from the site.
Truly. I give Serfie a lot of grief over his strange working hours, but every inch of that site is so wonderfully geared
to helping people- and nothing is more valuable than that in this crooked trading system. It's ammunition for us all,
to make it simple and profitable.
Makes me proud to be a part of it. :)
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.”
-Warren Buffet
LOL, located in Buenos Aires, China
http://www.mercadolibre.com/
old press: Tuesday, will entail eBay's replacing its site with one run by Chinese firmTom Group (TOMO - commentary - Cramer's Take), the paper reported, citing people familiar with the matter
http://www.thestreet.com/_googlen/newsanalysis/technet/10328578.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&....