SEC charges New York investment firm and its founder with fraud
Battery Private and Jeffrey Slothower allegedly misappropriated $1 million in two separate schemes.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged New York-based Battery Private, an investment firm, and its founder Jeffrey Slothower with misappropriating more than $1 million from a client and prospective client and defrauding investors in two separate schemes, as well as submitting false information on SEC filings.
[More: FBI, SEC warn public about fake brokers and advisers]
The SEC’s complaint alleges that in Slothower’s first alleged scheme, he misappropriated more than $1 million from an advisory client and her spouse, a prospective client. In the second, he allegedly made material misrepresentations in connection with private sales of a penny stock owned by Battery Private.
[More: Internet scams are top threat to investors, NASAA says]
The SEC’s complaint further alleges that Slothower exaggerated the size of Battery Private’s regulatory assets under management in SEC filings.
The complaint seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, civil penalties and permanent injunctive relief, among other remedies.
Many parents still clueless about college costs
Learn more about reprints and licensing for this article.