by Francesc Riverola

SEC’s Litigation Release:

SEC OBTAINS ORDER FREEZING ASSETS OF RUSSIAN INDIVIDUAL AND ENTITY SUSPECTED OF CONDUCTING ACCOUNT INTRUSION SCHEME
On Monday, March 15, 2010, the United Securities and Exchange Commission filed an emergency action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to freeze the assets of Defendants, located in Russia, responsible for a hi-tech market manipulation scheme. The Honorable Richard J. Holwell, granted the Commission’s request to freeze the Defendants’ assets pending a preliminary hearing, including an account that holds assets in excess of $500,000.

On the News:

Judge freezes assets of accused account hackers
By Reuters
The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Tuesday that U.S. District Judge Richard Holwell had granted its request on Monday to freeze the assets of BroCo Investments Inc and Valery Maltsev, BroCo’s president and sole officer, pending a preliminary hearing.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. judge froze the assets of Russian hackers who allegedly hijacked online brokerage accounts and then placed unauthorized trades in order to manipulate markets.

SEC: Stocks boosted via hijacked accounts
By CNET News
A U.S. federal judge has agreed to freeze the assets of a company being accused of manipulating the stocks of 38 companies listed on the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange via compromised trading accounts, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday.
The SEC alleges in a complaint filed in federal district court in New York on Monday that BroCo Investments and its president, Valery Maltsev, gained access to investor accounts using stolen usernames and passwords, and placed unauthorized trades through the accounts.

I went to BroCo’s web site to see if they had something to say about SEC’s complaint filed by a district court in New York and I found an Official statement of the President of the company.

It states:

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Official statement of the President of the company
Within the nearest time we will explain in detail the situation around sub-broker accounts of our company in Genesis Securities, USA, which allow our Clients to operate on stock market of the USA.

Securities and Exchange Commission of the USA did not arrest these accounts in fact but had just temporarily suspended all operations of Clients until thecircumstances on one of Client’s trading accounts are clarified.

I underline that neither me no BroCo are associated with trading on this specific account.

BroCo as an official sub-broker of Genesis operates on stock market of the USA. We register accounts for all clients wishing to trade on the USA stock market and therefore have commission remuneration. All largest actors of the Russian stock market do apply the same scheme for operations in Genesis.

It means that accumulated omnibus account is registered in the name of our company in Genesis and within the it’s frames our Clients’ accounts are opened. Full procedure for registering Client’s account of this type is introduced on our web-site in details. These accounts are certainly opened officially, we provide Genesis with complete information about holders of these accounts in compliance with Genesis’ demands and procedures as well as all required documents by our Clients.

The account suspected in price manipulation in market belongs to Client of the company. The client performed his own trading and traded at his own responsibility.. Our company together with Genesis only procures technical and brokerage facilities. Thus BroCo company is not associated with trading on above-mentioned account.

In the nearest time we will carefully study all claims of USA Securities and Exchange Commission. I can assure that all claims upon securities are civic and in fact represent request for all relevant and essential documents of Client, it is not a criminal case.

Our lawyers prepare essential papers and today or tomorrow will file the package to Commission.

Russian mass media did not investigate the situation thoroughly and published wrong information. We have already requested our mass media to cease the inflow of not unexamined information.

BroCo works in normal operation. Soon all misunderstandings will be cleared.

Today I will respond the questions of Russian mass media and I am here to answer all questions of our Clients because it is an ordinary case of proceedings between broker and regulating authority which was presented in a not ordinary way by Russian mass-media including web sources.
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Francesc