Professional Athletes Beware Of Placing Too Much Trust In Your Financial Advisors – South Florida Financial Advisor Litigation and Arbitration Attorney

Professional Athletes Beware Of Placing Too Much Trust In Your Financial Advisors – South Florida Financial Advisor Litigation and Arbitration Attorney

SEC: Financial Adviser Defrauded Pro Athletes and Lied to SEC Examiners

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced fraud charges against a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based financial adviser accused of taking money without permission from the accounts of several professional athletes in order to invest in movie projects and make Ponzi-like payments.

According to the SEC’s complaint filed today in federal court in Manhattan, when SEC examiners uncovered the unauthorized withdrawals that Louis Martin Blazer III made from his clients’ accounts and asked him to explain the transactions, he lied and produced false deal documents that he created after the fact in a failed attempt to hide his misconduct.

The SEC alleges that Blazer, who founded Blazer Capital Management as a “concierge” firm targeting professional athletes and other high-net worth individuals as clients, took approximately $2.35 million from five clients without their authorization so he could invest in two movie projects. Blazer had a personal financial interest in the development of both films, one called “Mafia the Movie” and the other called “Sibling.” In one instance, Blazer actually pitched the movie project to an athlete as an investment opportunity, but that client expressly refused to make the investment. Blazer allegedly took $550,000 from the client’s account anyway and invested the money in the film projects.

The SEC further alleges that the client later learned about Blazer making the unauthorized investment in the movies and demanded repayment, even threatening a lawsuit. Blazer then took money out of a different athlete’s account to make the repayment in Ponzi-like fashion.

Blazer has agreed to settle the charges without admitting or denying the allegations. The settlement is subject to court approval with determination of disgorgement and financial penalties to be decided by the court at a later date. The SEC’s complaint charges Blazer with violations of Sections 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5, and Section 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Contact Us:

With extensive courtroom, arbitration and mediation experience and an in-depth understanding of elder abuse, exploitation and securities law, our firm provides all of our clients with the personal service they deserve. Handling cases worth $25,000 or more, we represent clients throughout Florida and across the United States, as well as for foreign individuals that invested in U.S. banks or brokerage firms. Contact us to arrange your free initial consultation.

At the Boca Raton Law Office of Russell L. Forkey, we represent clients throughout South and Central Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Sunrise, Plantation, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Delray, Boynton Beach, Hollywood, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Manalapan, Jupiter, Gulf Stream, Wellington, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Palm City, Jupiter, Miami, Orlando, Maitland, Winter Park, Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, Heathrow, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Cocoa Beach, Vero Beach, Daytona Beach, Deland, New Smyrna Beach, Ormand Beach, Broward County, Palm Beach County, Dade County, Orange County, Seminole County, Martin County, Brevard County, Indian River County, Volusia County and Monroe County, Florida. The law office of Russell L. Forkey also represents South American, Canadian and other foreign residents that do business with U.S. financial institutions, investment advisors, brokerage and precious metal firms.

Contact Information