Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's office says at least 16 Indiana residents are among the victims who were defrauded by Safeguard Metals. LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - U.S. bank Citigroup Inc failed on Friday in a bid to win an order from a London court that would force trade house Mercuria to pay about $270 million in potential losses . The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and a bipartisan coalition of 27 states, alleges that Safeguard Metals deceived nearly 450 investors nationwide by . A complaint was filed against the . In fact, the silver coins were significantly less valuable than the defendants claimed, based on the resale prices the firm marketed and promoted. . I'm Jeff Sonn, an attorney concentrating on securities fraud and consumer class actions. A cross-agency approach enhances our ability to protect investors and the integrity of our markets.. In the end, nearly every customer suffered an immediate loss of their investment on the purchase of precious metals from Safeguard Metals. According to the complaint, Safeguard Metals charged an average markup of 71 percent and more recently 51 percent on the precious metals. Safeguard Metals is located in Woodland Hills, California, and Jeffrey Santulan resides in Tarzana, California. Restitution is being sought through a federal lawsuit filed . Safeguard Metals LLC is a Wyoming Limited Liability Company with an office located in Woodland Hills, California. Safeguard Metals steered over 97 percent of its sales from mostly inexperienced investors into overpriced silver coins which had significantly higher markups than gold coins. Feb. 23, 2023. 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. Brazen attempts to target senior citizens or other vulnerable populations will not be tolerated in California, DFPI Commissioner Clothilde Hewlett said. As part of the fraudulent scheme, Defendants charged fees that were almost 50% higher than the maximum fees that were disclosed to investors who purchased silver coins from Safeguard Metals. To learn more about Safeguard Metals and the asset preservation services we provide, contact us today! 165 Broadway 23rd Floor New York City NY, 10006 *by appointment only. "The federal securities laws prohibit deceptive conduct and material misrepresentations in the purchase or sale of securities," said Kathryn A. Pyszka, an Associate Director in the SECs Chicago Regional Office. Safeguard Metals LLC of Woodland Hills, California, targeted older investors and sold them gold and silver coins at grossly inflated prices, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission. In this case, it was silver coins. In the context of bodily injury legal claims, a class action is a cover where a large number of people who have actually suffered the same or similar harm form a legitimate group that you are simply bringing a civil action against, usually against someone or several different individuals. Below is information about these offers and simple ways to spot offers that could be scams. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. Shop Now. Do THIS Or Pledge Your Retirement To The Democrats, ALERT: Secret IRS Loophole May Change Your Life. Hello, I need a recommendation on attys in CA that specializes in precious metals. The lawsuit alleges Metals.com and its parent company TMTE defrauded $185 million from at least 1,600 investors and most are elderly$140 million of the allegedly defrauded money came from. Invoices show that Chase Metals sold Matteo 8,050 Polar Bear & Cub coins, each of which contained 1.5 ounces of silver. The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Safeguard Metals LLC, and its owner, Jeffrey Santulan, for engaging in a multi-million dollar fraudulent scheme involving hundreds of investors who were at or near retirement age. Safeguard Metals is located in . Safeguard Metals ("SGM") is solely a retailer providing precious metals for customers individually and IRA accounts. allPs[i].innerHTML = text; We fight to level the playing field between large corporations and the public investor. Safeguard and Santulan also allegedly misled investors about Safeguards commissions and markups on the coins, charging average markups of approximately 64% on its sales of silver coins, instead of the 4% to 33% markups that they disclosed to investors. The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and a bipartisan coalition of 27 states, alleges that Safeguard Metals deceived nearly 450 investors nationwide by fraudulently soliciting nearly $68 million for precious metals and misrepresenting its exorbitant fees charged to investors. Questions? As the market continues to fluctuate, we anticipate more fraudsters using fear and uncertainty to manipulate good people out of their hard-earned money.. 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.. Investors are advised to check the registration of all investment products and professionals, and ask tough questions about fees, markups, risks, and potential returns. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. The lawsuit which includes the state of California among plaintiffs alleges that Safeguard Metals used false statements on its website, inflating its assets by billions and using fear tactics to motivate senior citizens to purchase the precious metals. 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. 2023 DISCLAIMER: All content within CoinWeek.com is presented for informational purposes only, with no guarantee of accuracy. As low as $52.50. 1, Report #1485959. You can reach us by phone at 844-689-5754 or via e-mail. I deposited a significant amount of money into the service, but soon realized that it was not legitimate. 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. . In many cases, the actual market value of the precious metals purchased was substantially lower than the value of the investors retirement savings liquidated to fund their purchase. Oct 08 2022. text = text.replace("https://docqnet.dfpi.ca.gov/LicenseSearch/LicenseDetails/","https://portal.dfpi.ca.gov/csp?id=ssp_license_search"); 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. VanessaBenedict.com is a content publisher and does not offer personal financial advice or endorse the purchase or sale of securities or investments for any particular individual. I have filed complaint forms with the SEC, Commodities Future Trading Company, CA Department of Business Oversight. I was unable to withdraw my funds and customer service was not responsive. Safeguard and Santulan reportedly used false and misleading statements about the safety and liquidity of the investments, Safeguards business practices, and its compensation structure. 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. 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Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Encino woman extradited from Montenegro to serve sentence for COVID loan fraud, Mullholland Drive to be closed at least 24 hours, home evacuated due to mud flow in Beverly Crest, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, NYC Mayor Adams dismisses need to separate church and state, declares himself a servant of God, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and a bipartisan coalition of 27 states, alleges that Safeguard Metals deceived nearly 450 investors nationwide by fraudulently soliciting nearly $68 million for precious metals and misrepresenting its exorbitant fees charged to investors. 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 Thurston, Teply and a third Idaho Safeguard distributor, Craig Empey, of Idaho Falls, who was not involved in the lawsuit, had combined annual sales of $1.82 million. As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. I thought I was buying silver at spot plus a 12% commission. 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. Safeguard works at the direction . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The complaint, filed in conjunction with the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission, seeks a permanent injunction to stop the allegedly deceptive and fraudulent practices, disgorgement, full restitution and civil monetary penalties. Com his name is Robert Slattery from Metals.com chase.com and he lives now in Seattle Washington and now he owns a real estate company first thing he said that they were huge supporters of Sean Hannity and . For contact information, visit the NASAA website here. The SECs complaint, which was filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, Calif., charges Safeguard and Santulan with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. A class action lawsuit occurs when a group of people can sue the same company over the same source of damage, almost always a defective product. Contests and Promotions, 2023, NPG of Idaho, Inc. Idaho Falls, ID USA, Yellowstone Teton Territory Travel and Tourism, View all our Vallow-Daybell coverage here, Idaho budget committee cuts funding to child care assistance, Idaho joins Texas lawsuit over new federal clean-water rules, Police continue to search for 16-year-old runaway, Southeastern Idaho Public Health provides free health screenings, Mortgage applications drop to 28-year low as rates climb, Report shows troubling rise in colorectal cancer among US adults younger than 55, Covid vaccine maker Novavax says it may not survive. The complaint alleges that from approximately October 2017 and continuing through at least July 2021, the defendants fraudulently solicited and received approximately $68 million in customer fundsthe majority of which was retirement savingsfrom at least 450 persons throughout the U.S. for the purpose of purchasing precious metals, primarily consisting of gold and silver coins. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 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. 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. . Nationally, at least 450 investors paid . Whistleblowers are eligible to receive between 10% and 30% of the monetary sanctions collected paid from the Customer Protection Fund financed through monetary sanctions paid to the CFTC by violators of the CEA. BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) The Idaho Department of Finance joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and 26 other states Wednesday to file a complaint in United States District Court for the Central District of California against Safeguard Metals LLC, and Jeffrey Santulan a/k/a Jeffrey Hill. Self-directed IRAs should not be confused with traditional IRAs or other retirement vehicles. These cookies do not store any personal information. Required fields are marked *. That was substantially more than the amounts the defendants represented in Safeguard Metals customer agreements. Safeguard Properties Reviews, Complaints & Contacts | Complaints Board. Biden Fires Warning Shot for Retirees Are You at Risk? text = text.replace("https://docqnet.dfpi.ca.gov/LicenseSearch","https://portal.dfpi.ca.gov/csp?id=ssp_license_search"); If you or your loved one experienced investment losses, we are here to help. var text; 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The defendants also deceived customers into purchasing silver coins at grossly inflated prices that bore no relationship to the ranges represented to customers. Civil cases usually involve secret disputes between individuals or organizations. Unfortunately, this case reflects just one of the many epidemic-level investment scams targeting senior and vulnerable populations,, 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,, 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,, Given the complexity of investment products, our jobs have never been more important, or more demanding., Submissions Accepted for ANA Young Numismatist Literary Awards, PMG Announces Seven Million Notes Certified, First 2023 Collector Coins From Italian Mint Honor Art of Vantivelli, Heritage Offering Special Collection of World Coins, Part II, Perth Mint Issues 2023 Australian Koala Silver Bullion Coins, US Mint Releases U.S. Army 2.5 Ounce Silver Medal March 6, Big Things Happened at the United States Mint in March, Jeff Garrett: The Box of Twenty Approach to Coin Collecting, Roger Burdette: First 1878-S Morgan Silver Dollars Struck, 2023 Congratulations Set With Silver Eagle Proof on Sale March 2, The Coins of Carthage During Hannibals War With Rome. 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