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West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – The Connecticut-based hedge fund manager who had his assets frozen by the SEC last month, Francesco Rusciano, was released to the custody of his parents on a $500,000 bond after a federal court hearing.
According to the SEC’s complaint, Francesco Rusciano solicited investments for two hedge funds, Ponta Negra Fund I, LLC and Ponta Negra Offshore Fund I, LTD, which is the principal of Ponta Negra Group, LLC, located at his residence in Stamford, Conn.
The hedge fund manager also sent out an e-mail to investors saying that his Ponta Negra hedge funds had $59 million in assets under management as of February 2009. According to the SEC’s complaint, the hedge funds had less than $10 million.
The SEC says that Rusciano forged brokerage account statements to make it appear that another hedge fund account had more than $43 million in assets, when it had less than $3 million.
"Rusciano went to great lengths to deceive investors, and the SEC is committed to ensuring that money managers who provide inaccurate information to investors and fail to uphold their fiduciary duties are held responsible for their misconduct," said Rose Romero, Director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office.
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West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – The SEC has frozen the assets of a Connecticut-based hedge fund manager, alleging that he forged documents, promised false returns, and misrepresented assets managed by the funds to illicitly raise more than $30 million from investors.
According to the SEC’s complaint, Francesco Rusciano solicited investments for two hedge funds he controls, Ponta Negra Fund I, LLC and Ponta Negra Offshore Fund I, LTD, which is the principal of Ponta Negra Group, LLC, located at his residence in Stamford, Conn.
The hedge fund manager also sent out an e-mail to investors saying that his Ponta Negra hedge funds had $59 million in assets under management as of February 2009. According to the SEC’s complaint, the hedge funds had less than $10 million.
The SEC says that Rusciano forged brokerage account statements to make it appear that another hedge fund account had more than $43 million in assets, when it had less than $3 million.
"Rusciano went to great lengths to deceive investors, and the SEC is committed to ensuring that money managers who provide inaccurate information to investors and fail to uphold their fiduciary duties are held responsible for their misconduct," said Rose Romero, Director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office.
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds!
Emirates Business 24/7 – Cheap they may be, but not all cash-rich Gulf investors are up for buying distressed assets in the US.
Such a move historically was a good way to make a profit. A good fund manager can buy up distressed assets for pennies on the dollar and figure out ways to sell them down the road for nickels or dimes on the dollar.
It’s a reasonable business proposition, and there are a handful of cases where investors made big profits from buying distressed assets following bursting bubbles. But with a global meltdown on the horizon, not everyone is willing to take a risk.
Dubai Group, a financial conglomerate of Dubai Holding, for one is planning to launch a fund of funds in the first half of 2009 to invest in the US and European markets. The fund, according to Tom Volpe, its group chief executive would not buy distressed assets but rather focus on traditional asset management and private equities. "Are we going to buy distressed assets? The answer is, ‘No’," he told Emirates Business.
