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Due Diligence Background Checks for Institutional Investors. Fund of Funds, Capital Lenders, Family Offices and Endowments

Hedge Fund Fraud


Check Fund Manager has been warning its clients for years about potential Hedge Fund blow ups long before they occur. Check Fund Manager has also warned our clients about many others that are not published in the news, or have yet to be exposed. Here are some fund managers involved in frauds and blow ups previously investigated by Check Fund Manager that you may have read about in the news. In each case, we present the fraud, then show how our clients avoided the fraud by what our investigation revealed.

Consider James Nicholson who ran the ponzi scheme called Westgate Capital Management. Nicholson plead guilty in December 2009 to securities fraud, investment advisor fraud and mail fraud.

Check Fund Manager investigated Mr. Nicholson in 2007 and quickly warned our client that back in 2001 Mr.Nicholson had furnished false and misleading documents with the NASD to such an extent that he was permanently barred from association with any NASD member in any capacity whatsoever. In spite of this extremely severe sanction, Nicholson created 11 hedge funds and lured in 400 unsuspecting investors before the FBI finally stepped in.

Consider Helmut Kiener, founder of K1 Group of Germany who was arrested on criminal charges of fraud and breach of trust. Check Fund Manager investigated Mr. Kiener in 2006 in Germany. We translated articles from several investment journals that discussed the well known problems K1 faced with the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). The Check Fund Manager investigator on site also documented irregularities having to do with the 2004 income tax filings and corporate filings for K1.

Consider Galleon Group's Raj Rajaratnam who was arrested in October 2009 and convicted May 11, 2011 with fourteen counts including five counts of conspiracy and nine counts of securities fraud.

In 2000, Raj Rajaratnam and then partner Krishen Sud made the highest earners list on Wall Street. Once described as one of American’s “superstar” fund managers Rajaratnam was featured among the elite US money managers in Lois Peltz authored book entitled “The New Investment Superstars: 13 Great Investors and Their Strategies for Superior Returns.”

The 2001 Check Fund Manager report on Galleon detailed a dispute between Raj Rajaratnam and former partner Krishen Sud. Rajaratnam filed a $1 billion dollar lawsuit against Mr. Sud, claiming that when Sud left the company he took investor lists and broker contacts with him. He also claims that Sud hired away several employees from Galleon in order to start a new company, Argus Partners.

Check Fund Manager investigated Galleon Group & Raj Rajaratnam on thirteen different occasions going back to 2001. The civil litigation summary section of the CFM report is laden with lawsuits and past regulatory fines involving Rajaratnam and Galleon. We warned our clients about the SEC investigation into the Galleon Group in July 2008, more than a year before it was made public by his arrest. Our information regarding the SEC investigation into Raj Rajaratnam a year before it became public was obtained as a result of our unique investigative process.

Consider financier Danny Pang whose assets were frozen by the SEC in April 2009. Pang, a Taiwanese immigrant, founded a $4 billion international investment firm and moved in A-list social circles in Los Angeles. The SEC accused Pang of running a Ponzi scheme and defrauding investors of hundreds of millions of dollars.

A Check Fund Manager investigation of Danny Pang performed in 2006 revealed very two rudimentary red flags. First, we found that Mr. Pang's credentials were misrepresented. Mr. Pang's resume indicated that he earned both of his undergraduate degrees in biology and physics as well as an MBA in finance from the University of California, Irvine. According to the University of CA Irvine Danny Pang only attended summer classes there for one semester in 1986. The second major red flag found was that Mr. Pang was in default on his Villa Park, CA property, as we uncovered a property foreclosure record from 2004.

Many other red flags were found. CFM uncovered six liens and judgments against Mr. Pang. In 2000 Diners Club won a judgment against Danny Pang for charges and fees in excess of $121,000. Another company won a judgment for $95,334 against Mr. Pang in 2004. More lawsuits and complaints were found. There was even a civil harrassment suit involving Danny and his first wife from 1993 that we uncovered.

Consider Francesco Rusciano of the Ponta Negra Group, whose assets were frozen by the SEC in April 2009. The SEC alleges that Rusciano promised false returns and misrepresented his assets. Not only did he forge documents so as to inflate his assets by more than $40 million, but Rusciano also claimed that his funds were generating positive returns when in fact, they were suffering losses.

In 2008, CFM's bellwether report on Rusciano established his history of unprofessional and unethical conduct. The CFM report revealed that in June 2006, Rusciano was forced to resign from his position at UBS Securities after UBS discovered that he had misreported numerous transactions into the UBS tracking system. In effect, the false transactions showed false profits.

A further demonstration of Rusciano's underhanded character was exposed in CFM's 2008 report: in allowing his FINRA registration to lapse, Rusciano exploited a FINRA system loophole. Conveniently, in failing to renew his FINRA registration, the unsavory details of Rusciano's UBS employment were effectively concealed from the public eye. Today, were you to search the FINRA system for Rusciano's record, you would find no trace of his scandal-ridden record. Check Fund Manager, however, has long overcome this FINRA loophole in that we preserve previous registrations and possess a wealth of lapsed and now unavailable records that reveal behind-the-scenes insight into the professional pasts of thousands of managers.

How can you get Check Fund Manager Investigative reports on the managers and funds that you are investing with?

By taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today! We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. Be assured that your own identity with us is safeguarded. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated.

Consider Gad Grieve and Finvest Asset Management who were sued by U.S. regulators in Feb. 2009 over claims he listed a fictitious auditor while fabricating financial statements. Grieve, who managed Finvest Asset Management LLC created two “sham” firms that purportedly vouched for accounting and profits. He also gave some potential investors a bogus audit report printed on letterhead for an accounting firm called Kass Roland in Jersey City, New Jersey.

A Check Fund Manager investigation of Grieve performed in 2007 found several red flags. From early in his career, Gad (whose real name is Grant Ivan Grieve), was accustomed to fabricating some facts, and excluding others. For example, in 1987 Mr. Grieve operated a firm in Durban, South Africa named PLAYMATES EXECUTIVE ENTERTAINMENT CC, a fact that was conveniently left off of his biography. Grieve's biography also mentioned several firms that he supposedly worked for, none of which could be verified. Grieve claims to have worked for a family office in South Africa from 1983 to 1989, his own property development company from 1989 through 1993, and a US and UK based family office from 1993 until 2000. No records could be found of the existence of the family offices in South Africa, the US, or the UK, and no follow up contact information was provided by Mr. Grieve for verification. Grieve's own property development company, called GG Property Development (PTY) LTD never existed in South Africa. Some other company names were found registered under his name in South Africa, however the discrepancy was never clarified.

In addition to professional misrepresentations, Mr. Grieve's personal life was fraught with drama as well. Mr. Grieve, who in 1995 was a rabbinical candidate at Marbeh Torah Yeshiva in Bnei Braq, Israel, was married on July 7, 1995 to Ms. Elisheva Tamerin. Elisheva Tamerin and Gad Grieve married in Israel. Their child, Simcha Zissell, was born on April 16, 1996. They divorced in September 1997. The divorce turned ugly after Mr. Grieve took his son to the UK and then to the US always staying one step ahead of his wife's pursuit of her son. We documented an international custody battle that ensued over their child starting in Israel, then the UK, and the US. In a happy ending for Elizabeth Tamerin and her child, the Court of Appeals in New York finally granted custody of Simcha to Elizabeth Tamerin in 2002.

Consider Weavering Capital which went bust after it could not honor redemption requests. The Macro Fixed Income Fund, which is based in the Cayman Islands and specialises in fixed-income investments, suspended redemptions in March 2009. Redemption requests exceeded $223M (£154M) but Weavering could only afford to meet $90M of these. A Check Fund Manager investigation of Weavering performed two years prior found two red flags. The first and most critical is that Weavering went totally bust before in 2002! The Swedish Financial Authority came after Weavering because their capital base was too low after they acquired Stockholm Fondkommission in 2006.

Consider Bernie Madoff fraud charges in 2008 and the unraveling of Madoff Securities. Check Fund Manager has formally investigated Mr. Madoff and Madoff securities on twelve different occasions going back to 2001. We documented 4 prior regulatory actions including an investigation by the SEC, and over a dozen lawsuits in both civil and bankruptcy court.

An independent AP reporter named Peter Yost determined that Check Fund Manager was the only firm that made written inquiries to the SEC in 2007 regarding Madoff. These inquiries produced documentation of the possible SEC investigation into Madoff. We also determined and it is common knowledge now that later in 2007 the SEC stopped its investigation into Madoff Securities. It was reported later that this failed probe was in part prompted by the Markopolus whistleblowing effort. Unfortunately, the cessation of the SEC probe in 2007 in effect produced a green light to investors trying to decide whether an investment with Madoff was a prudent choice to make.

Many of our institutional clients lured by their consistent yields have been tempted to invest with Madoff, overlooking the potential red flags they may have uncovered, for example, the operational lack of transparency. Imagine the struggle within investment teams who on the one hand pursue alpha, while on the other, have self-imposed standards of due diligence under which they operate.

In the Madoff case, for years the voices called for alpha at any cost were rewarded. Today the voices that called for a strict adherence to due diligence standards without exception have again proven to be the best course of action.

How can you get Check Fund Manager Investigative reports on the managers and funds that you are investing with?

By taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today! We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. Be assured that your own identity with us is safeguarded. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated.

Consider the 2008 Petters Group’s fraud. We investigated Petters Group for six clients as early as 2003. Had you read the Check Fund Manager investigative report you would have learned about Mr. Petters' personal problems starting with a divorce and culminating with the manslaughter of his son in Italy, along with a plethora of civil litigations that were pressing Mr. Petters years before his fraud unraveled. (Tom Petters was arrested on October 3, 2008 is in jail without bond after a judge declared him a flight risk. Petters, who is charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice, has been accused of masterminding a $3 billion fraud scheme over the past 12 years at his Petters Group Worldwide. Most of the companies under the Petters Group Worldwide umbrella have been placed into receivership with the assets frozen. Sun Country Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.)

Consider Florian Homm of Absolute Capital who Check Fund Manager investigated 8 times also as early as 2003. Had you read the Check Fund Manager report, you would have steered clear of investing with Absolute Capital. Even the earliest Check Fund Manager 2003 report indicates abuses and charges brought against Mr. Homm and Absolute Capital along with fines issued by the German Supervisory Authority of Financial Services at that time. Shortly thereafter, in 2005 Florian Homm was fined by the District Court of Frankfurt for his nonfeasance to properly declare a self interest in research reports about WCM Beteiligungs-Und Grundbesitz-Aktiengesellschaft, a charge that he never disputed.

The Check Fund Manager investigative report then went on to outline 9 federal or local civil cases involving Florian Homm or Absolute Capital including Racketeering (RICO) as well as bankruptcy cases. (Homm, who was also Absolute's chief investment officer, resigned suddenly in September 2007, causing consternation among investors in the listed hedge fund company. Soon afterwards, Absolute disclosed that the net asset values of some $500 million of stocks in fund portfolios did not reflect “the immediately realizable value of such investments.” The Cascade Fund, operated by White Peaks Asset Management, in Evergreen Colorado, alleges that Homm, Absolute Capital and directors enriched themselves in a fraudulent scheme involving penny stocks. Homm "secretly steered" investor funds into buying the "wildly speculative" penny stocks through Hunter World Markets, a California-based brokerage firm he half-owned, the lawsuit stated. "Homm's transactions generated huge profits for Hunter in a variety of ways, which in turn generated secret profits for Homm," alleges Cascade.)

Here is a case for the student of due diligence, Norshield Financial. Norshield's assets were frozen by the Ontario Securities commission in May 2005 and put in receivership in June 2005. Our report documented an ongoing case which began in March of 2000, brought by a company called Cinar Corporation against Norshield Financial over an unauthorized transfer of $125 million in investor funds from the Norshield Canadian entity to a questionable Bahamian entity which went bankrupt in 2002.

The lawsuit says the Norshield CEO, John Xanthoudakis severely misled Cinar's auditors as to nature of the investment by indicating that they were "invested in high-grade bonds", listing several by name, and made no mention of the questionable Bahamian entity. The Check Fund Manager investigative report also revealed that John Xanthoudakis tried to get a court to block the Montreal Gazette from the publication of an insolvency hearing in January 2005, which would make these matters public. Our client read our report in March 2005, three months before the assets were frozen and "red-flagged" Norshield just in time to stop their allocation, saving his company millions of dollars in lost redemptions.

Update: Xanthoudakis was taken into custody at Montréal's Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport on March 16, 2011 upon his return from Bermuda. Xanthoudakis was charged with 36 counts of fraud and forgery. Xanthoudakis is the fourth and final suspect to be arrested and accused of masterminding the fraud we warned our client about six years earlier in 2005.

How can you get Check Fund Manager Investigative reports on the managers and funds that you are investing with?

By taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today! We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. Be assured that your own identity with us is safeguarded. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated.

Consider Seth Tobias, general partner of Circle T Partners. Had you read the Check Fund Manager investigative report, you would have learned that domestic abuse issues were present in the turbulent Tobias household. (Seth Tobias, general partner of Circle T Partners, was found dead in the pool of his Jupiter, Florida home. He was 44 years old. His wife found him at about 1 am who called police to their home. The drowning death of New York hedge fund manager Tobias at his Jupiter, Florida mansion was only the start of a lurid story that continues to splash across the pages of the New York Daily News. Allegations of drug-fueled binges and sex with gay porn stars surfaced, with the impressively tattooed “Tiger” Christopher Dauenhauer first denying he knew Tobias, then saying he’d carried on a wild relationship with the manager. A former personal assistant to the family has claimed Seth’s wife, Filomena, admitted killing the fund manager, which she has denied – and Tobias’s brothers are battling his widow for control of his estate.)

Consider Paul Eustace, founder of the collapsed Philadelphia Alternative Asset Management (PAAM) Company. About a dozen federal cases have been brought against Mr. Eustace by the CFTC regarding his fraudulent scheme, including a two count indictment alleging that he defrauded clients of $202 million. In addition, criminal action has been brought against Mr. Eustace for commodities fraud. While the fraud was only revealed in 2005, had you read the Check Fund Manager investigative report in 2004, you would have been made aware of two red flags regarding Mr. Eustace. Years earlier in the 1990's, investors in a company Trout Trading took action after learning that Trout Trading lost millions due to unauthorized trading. Also, in 2001, a federal civil case was found against Paul Eustace as the defendant in a civil case involving hundreds of thousands of dollars of failed loan payments.

Consider John Whittier, hedge-fund founder of Wood River Capital Management, which is based in San Francisco and Ketchum, Idaho. In October 2005, the SEC filed civil fraud charges against Whittier. Lehman Brothers also filed suit after loosing $20 million to Wood River. John Whittier ultimately pleaded guilty to securities fraud and was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $5.5 million. Had you read the Check Fund Manager investigative report before this fraud was revealed, you would have learned that Wood River had no audited financials for the past 4 years and that they were on their 3rd prime broker in 7 months time. You would have also learned that three years earlier, Wood River had failed to make lease payments on its San Francisco property causing the property owner to sue Wood River in an effort to collect.

How can you get Check Fund Manager Investigative reports on the managers and funds that you are investing with?

By taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today! We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. Be assured that your own identity with us is safeguarded. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated.

Consider Scott Tracy, former director of the deregistered hedge fund Endeavour Funds in Australia. After pleading guilty of making false and misleading statements to Macquarie International about the trading history of Endeavour, Tracy was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond and his company deregistered in August of 2006. Had you read the Check Fund Manager investigative report in 2004, two years before this action was revealed, you would have learned that our confidential contacts in Australia had indicated that Scott Tracy was already under investigation by the Australian commissioner.

Consider one of the most publicized Hedge Fund frauds, the Bayou fund operated by Sam Israel III. Check Fund Manager investigated Bayou for several of its clients, NONE of whom invested with Mr. Israel as a result. The Check Fund Manager investigation into Mr. Israel revealed many red flags which pushed the risk threshold for all of our clients.

On September 1, 2005 Federal prosecutors sued the Bayou funds, saying the hedge fund company and securities firm run by Samuel Israel III directed a years-long fraud that attracted more than $300 million from investors. Bayou began defrauding investors in 1998, just a year after it opened its doors. The fraud included the overstatement of investment gains, the understatement of losses and reporting gains to investors when, in fact, losses should have been recorded. Bayou also created a bogus accounting firm, Richmond-Fairfield Associates, to certify Bayou's false financial statements. Between 2001 and 2005 ten different Institutional Investor clients of CheckFundManager.com had contracted us to investigate Bayou and Samuel Israel. Because of their proper due diligence, of which our investigation was an integral part, we are proud to report that none of these ten clients invested or suffered lost redemptions with Sam Israel and Bayou.

The collapse of Bayou represents an important lesson in the need for conducting proper institutional due diligence of which a comprehensive CheckFundManager.com investigation is an integral part. CheckFundManager.com has been helping institutional investors by conducting background investigations of hedge funds since 2001. Starting with a collaborative team including US based capital market due diligence analysts, compliance officers, and a vision to provide fast, comprehensive, and a cost effective service, CheckFundManager.com is now the largest provider of investigative services to institutional investors in the alternative investment industry.

The list of busted hedge funds goes on, including Amerindo, Applegate, Bayou, Bingham, Critical Infrastructure Fund, Daedalus, Dobbins, Durus, Evergreen, Fountainhead, Gabelli, KL, KojiGoto, Linuxor, Man Group, MDL, Norshield, Philadelphia Alternative Asset, Pippin, Portus, Refco, Springer, Sterling Waters, Strategic Income Fund/ETJ Partners, Tenet, Tradewinds, Wood River. Investors in these funds should have been reading the Check Fund Manager investigative reports on those firms.

Our Mission

Our mission is to identify the hedge funds and fund managers who could expose your capital to undue risk. Over the years, we have helped to protect the capital base of hundreds of capital market, fund of fund, family offices and other institutional investors that invest in these alternative investments.

Statistics

Over time, we have found a court case or some other exception in about 15% of the cases. Please view the statistical distribution of these findings. Our Year End Analysis Report, shows volume and turn around time statistics on our prior efforts. Members of our service can also view a detailed explanation (pdf) of our Due Diligence report.

Most of the people we research are clean, honest, respectable individuals with unblemished records. Would it surprise you to learn though that an active manager of a fund we evaluated had his securities registration revoked for 5 years, all of his trading privileges suspended, and was fined $150,000 yet is back in business today? His offenses included CHEATING, DEFRAUDING, FALSE STATEMENT OR RECORDS, BUCKETING OR OFFSETTING ORDERS, FICTITIOUS SALES, and REPORTING NON BONA-FIDE PRICES. If you were a hiring manager at an investment firm, would you knowingly hire this person to trade on your customer's accounts today?

Free Watch List
All managers that you request a report on are automatically added to the CheckFundManager.com 3 year "Watch List" notification system. Each time the manager is researched for another client, you will be notified of any adverse findings that were not presented in your original report. Due to the extremely high repetition rate on investigations, there is a good chance we will investigate your managers again. See our Multiple Manager Report Analysis. The CFM "Ongoing Due Diligence Monitoring" goes one step further and re-investigates the managers in your investment pool month after month.

How can you get Check Fund Manager Investigative reports on the managers and funds that you are investing with?

By taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today! We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. Be assured that your own identity with us is safeguarded. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated.

New Customers Common Questions & Answers

Does the individual know he is being investigated?
No. None of our investigative procedures leave any "footprints" that can be traced back to us or you.

Do you need the signed consent of the individual being investigated?
No. No signed consent is required.

How can you offer your service so inexpensively?
Our business pricing model spreads the cost of investigations across multiple clients. CheckFundManager will investigate the same individual for multiple clients who then benefit from the cost savings.

Do you recommend we inform the individual manager that he is being investigated?
We strongly recommend that you do NOT inform your managers that a background check is planned or was conducted.

Can we share what your report uncovers with the manager?
Yes, Absolutely, preferably in person.

How can I get Check Fund Manager Investigative reports on the managers and funds that I am investing with?

By taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today! We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. Be assured that your own identity with us is safeguarded. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated.

How do I know if something you report is a red flag, yellow flag, or no flag?
The CFM reports are objective in nature, they present the facts. If you are unsure about something we find, just call us and ask us about it. We have a lot of experience in these matters and can discuss your report over the phone with you.

Here are some considerations and general guidelines to consider when looking for red flags.
First, who do you represent and what are their interests? For example, if you are on the investment team of a private family office, and a manager is making money for you, a drug possession related offense from when he was 20 years old may have little meaning for your employer. However, if you are an operational due diligence manager working for an educational Endowment fund, a manager's record that includes a drug related offense would expose your Endowment to headline risk and should be avoided.
What is the charge, and how does it relate to the business the fund is involved with? For example, a fund that invests in distressed securities would be exposed to stockholder lawsuits on a regular basis. A similar suit for a long/short equity fund, however, would raise a red flag.

Some of the more common red flags we see in order of frequency and would raise caution about include personal bankruptcy, SEC or Rico Act violations, other federal or local civil charges, past charges of fraud, drug or substance abuse charges, direct credentials misrepresentations (did not attend or graduate university as reported, did not work for a prior firm as reported), substance abuse charges, recent criminal actions. A charge seen at CFM that may warrant a pass for example would be underage drinking beer on the beach.

The number of "exceptions" uncovered in a CFM report also would raise red flags. For example, an inflated job title on its own may only be a yellow flag, but combined with grandiose boasting about the person's every accomplishment since birth is of concern.

CFM recommends a systematic approach to evaluating the manager. Starting with his credentials, we are looking for accuracy of the information presented, its relevance to his work, and the pedigree of what it represents. Certainly an MBA from Wharton, Harvard, or Columbia summa cum laude speaks louder than just an undergraduate degree from a lesser regarded university with no distinction.

Accuracy, relevance, and pedigree also apply to past employment. Trading experience with a Wall Street brokerage house along with series 7 and 63 broker/dealer registrations show that the person has experience working under regulatory oversight.

On the litigation side, there are several considerations. Being a creditor or plaintiff in a bankruptcy filing is typically NOT a red flag, nor are the presence of one or more UCC filings.

Civil charges brought by former employers or partners are always of concern and, unfortunately, are rather common. SEC or Rico Act violations brought against the person or his company is serious. Past regulatory violations and the number of violations is of great concern as well. Be careful not to waive off past violations based on the size of the fine issued.

The least severe civil charges that would not raise any flags would include for example, a divorce from 7 years ago, and a personal injury suit related to an automobile accident.

The yellow flag would be raised if there were multiple divorces, especially one that is ongoing at present.

The red flag would be raised if we found business related civil suits as a defendant, including contract disputes, past employment or partner disputes, and of course RICO or SEC Act of 1934 violations.

Red flags would be raised on company named in suits of a similar nature. Not every lawsuit would name the individual. Class action suits should be examined as well. Was the company solely named, or were they named along with dozens of similar firms?

The Civil case complaint and disposition are the two most important documents you can examine when evaluating the relevance of any lawsuit. The CFM litigation summary will not only document the relevance of the said suits, but will often summarize the case complaint AND include the actual complaint for your review.

Here is a list of charges and cases we have seen as applied to the hedge fund managers we have investigated. Which of these breaches would raise a red flag with you?

  • Bio - Misrepresented Age
  • Bio - Misrepresented Educational Credentials
  • Bio - Misrepresented Employment History
  • Bio - Misrepresented Position Title or exaggerated duties or accomplishments
  • Bio - Grossly misrepresented length of experience on biography
  • Bio - Unexplained Gaps in employment history
  • Bio - Fudging dates
  • Bio - Purposely Leaving Off past employment
  • Felony - Driving Under the Influence
  • Felony - Child Molestation /Sexual Assault
  • Felony - Lewd and lascivious acts upon a person under the age of 14 years old
  • Felony - Arson
  • Felony - Grand Theft Auto
  • Felony - Attempted Murder
  • Felony - possession of narcotics
  • Felony - resisting arrest
  • Felony - Felony Assault
  • Misdemeanor - Driving Under the Influence
  • Misdemeanor - Possession of drugs
  • Misdemeanor - Possession of alcohol
  • Misdemeanor - Assault
  • Misdemeanor - Domestic Violence
  • Misdemeanor - Burglary
  • State - Driving Under the Influence
  • State - Driving on Suspended License
  • State - Reckless Driving
  • State - Sanctioned by a State Regulator
  • State - tax lien
  • State - Civil Judgment
  • State - Civil Contract Dispute
  • Federal - Sanctioned by the NASD
  • Federal - Has 15 year old arbitration no longer on file with the NASD
  • Federal - Has disclosure event no longer on file with the NASD
  • Federal - SEC Cease and Desist order over a conflict of interest disclosure failure
  • Federal - NFA arbitration charging fraud, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty
  • Federal - CFTC Reparations case
  • Federal - Has multiple Social Security Numbers
  • Federal - Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in the US
  • Federal - other Bankruptcy as defendant or debtor
  • Federal - RICO Act Violation
  • Federal - In violation of SEC Act of 1934
  • Federal - Breach of Contract dispute
  • Federal - Misrepresentation
  • Federal - Target of a Class Action suit
  • Federal - Civil Suit with former partner/employer
  • Federal - as plaintiff, winning a multi-million dollar judgment
  • International - Transferring funds to shield assets from International Creditors
  • International - Forced to "wind-up" by UK Financial Regulators
  • International - Found "insolvent" in the UK
  • International - Australian Securities and Futures Commission regulatory action
  • International - Ontario Securities Commission regulatory action
  • International - Securities Commission of the Bahamas regulatory action
  • International - Bahamas Civil Court action
  • Local - Changed his name, or is known by another name
  • Local - Divorce
  • Local - Contract Disputes
  • Local - Contractor Disputes
  • Local - Property Assessment Disputes

How can I get Check Fund Manager Investigative reports on the managers and funds that I am investing with?

By taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today! We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. Be assured that your own identity with us is safeguarded. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated.

Executive Summary
This is a three-page summary of all of the pertinent information on the person being investigated.

Educational Verification
CheckFundManager.com will confirm the educational degrees and dates reported by the candidate with the granting institutions. Other reported credentials, for example, CFA charterholder designations, CPA licenses, or Bar memberships will also be verified.

Regulatory Registrations
This section of the report shows any registration numbers found and any warnings, offenses, or fines reported by these two primary US regulatory agencies, FINRA (formerly the National Association of Securities Dealers) and the National Futures Association. We also examine company registrations on file with the SEC's Investment Advisory bureau and report the registrations found, highlighting any disclosure events. We will also contact our own network of local enforcement commissioners and have them look for non-published or archived incidents of disciplinary actions.

Regulatory Archives
CheckFundManager.com also conducts an investigation of the Stock Exchange Disciplinary Decisions going back to 1972, NASD Arbitration back to 1981, and Disciplinary actions back to 1990. It also includes Commodity Futures Trading Commission decisions date back to 1976. This data is not available to the public at large and is available to us through a special arrangement. Information found here might not be available through the standard inquiries to these agencies as the records may have been expunged or erased.

Corporate Records
This section of the report shows incorporation documents containing the applicant's name. The state of incorporation, filing status, and names of other corporate officers are typically included.

Corporate Affiliations
This section of the report shows the names of other corporations to which the manager has an affiliation, both past and present.

Business & Employment records
The next section of the report verifies the identity of the business the person is associated with. It may contain Dunn & Bradstreet listings, corporate registries, and other information on the affiliated company or companies.

Public Business References and SEC Insider Trading
The next section of the report can be very long as it contains references to the person being investigated in news services and business publications. Insider trading documents are found and reported on in this section. We perform a thorough records search for relevant public documents. The report you receive is full of active links to the actual source of the documents we find. This feature distinguishes us from our competition. Where they give you a 'static' report, ours is an 'active' document.

Department of Commerce OFAC Denied Persons Research
We will examine the Office of Foreign Asset Control Federal Denied Persons list to determine if the U.S. Department of Commerce believes the person is associated with money laundering, terrorism, or other anti-US activities. We can also conduct a name search on several other sources, including the United Nations Named Terrorists, Bank of England Sanctions, World Bank Ineligible Firms, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OFSI) Canada, the Defense Trade Controls Debarred Parties, and three lists from the US Bureau of Industry and Security, the Unverified Entity List, the Denied Entity List, and the Denied Person List.

National Bankruptcies, Liens and Judgments
This section of the report indicates any National Bankruptcies, Liens or Judgments found for the candidate across the United States.

Federal Criminal, Civil, Appellate
This section of the report indicates any Federal court cases found for the candidate as a plaintiff or defendant. His company may also be searched for records here.

SEC Cases & Proceedings
Federal court cases brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States are researched and found in this section. Research also includes hearings and documentation including those of the Stock Exchange Enforcement Division as well as Administrative Proceedings. His company may also be searched for records here.

National State/County Criminal, Parole, Probation, Dept. of Corrections
This section of the report indicates any state or county criminal court cases or department of corrections record found for the candidate.

Civil Court Records
This section of the report indicates any civil court cases found for the candidate. This is a national search. We research records from all 50 states. The fund's limited partnership and general partner may also be researched for records as well.

Name, SSN Validation and 25 Year Address History Associated with Subject
This section of the report identifies the person being investigated. His name, date of birth, address history, marital status, and a validation of his social security number is indicated. To protect both you from liability, the manager's actual social security number is not disclosed.

Property Records Associated with Subject
This last section of the report shows property values based upon sale and assessment information.

International Coverage -

United Kingdom

CheckFundManager.com can also research companies and individuals in the UK.

The "Comprehensive" report we conduct in the UK costs the same as our US based research and includes:

  • Personal identification information
  • Disqualified Directors research
  • Corporate affiliations, directorships held, past and present
  • Company "Essentials" report including capitalization and list of Directors
  • Company Regulatory registrations, reparations and actions
  • Personal UK Financial Securities Agency regulatory research
  • Civil prosecutions and County Court Judgments
  • Insolvencies (Bankruptcies) research
  • Company Liquidations
  • Company Receiverships
  • Investment and other media research
  • International media research
  • Internet research

International Coverage -
We can also research companies and individuals in other countries around the world. We've described some of them here, but you can also access the CheckFundManager.com International Coverage Map for the most comprehensive descriptions of our coverages.

International Coverage -

Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands

Here is a partial list of what the CheckFundManager.com researchers can access in Switzerland:

  • Personal information, marital status, address history
  • Tax figures
  • Civil prosecutions
  • Property and other personal asset ownership, value, and foreclosures
  • Financial assessment
  • Educational verification
  • Corporate affiliations, directorships held, duration of tenure, and corporate mandates
  • Financial obligations
  • SWX Swiss Exchange and Zurich Stock Exchange

Here is a partial list of what our CheckFundManager.com researchers can access in Italy:

  • Vital Records Check (name, date of birth, address).
  • Criminal Records arrest reports, sentences, and warrants.
  • Driving license suspensions
  • Corporate Directorships/Small Business Ownership
  • Shareholdings of non stock exchange listed companies
  • Balance sheets on LTD Liability company
  • Negative Business Records (Bankruptcy, Receivership, Liquidation, Liens, Judgments, etc.)
  • Bad/Bounced Cheques/Promissory Notes
  • Company Audits by CONSOB, the Italian Securities Board
  • Confidential Local Neighborhood Reputation canvas
  • National and Local Press Search
  • Full Italian financial media research
  • Professional Association Membership
  • Income Tax Files for the last 10 years
  • Credit report and 5 year credit history

Here is a partial list of what the CheckFundManager.com researchers can access in the Netherlands:

  • Vital Records Check (name, date of birth, address).
  • Criminal Records as reported to the media
  • Corporate Directorships/Small Business Ownership
  • Negative Business Records (Bankruptcy, Receivership, Liquidation, Liens, Judgments, etc.)
  • National and Local Press Search
  • FIOD (Fiscal Investigation Department) research
  • Professional Association Membership
  • Debt and payment history reputation
  • Property Ownership
  • Real Assets

International Coverage -

Sweden

Here a partial list of what the CheckFundManager.com investigation covers in Sweden:

  • Personal and company information
  • Date of Birth, Social Security number, driver's license
  • Address History
  • Residential Property assets
  • Vehicles and other personal assets
  • Marital Status
  • Current Company name & directorship positions
  • Current & past Company affiliations
  • Educational verification
  • Income and salary information
  • Taxable Assets
  • Bankruptcy records
  • Bailiff Office utmätning (Liens)
  • Criminal prosecutions and sentences
  • Civil suits and prosecutions
  • Debts & judgments
  • Newspaper/magazine/media research
  • Company sanctions with the Swedish Stock Exchange Financial Supervisory Authority

International Coverage -

France, Spain, Germany

Here a partial list of what our CheckFundManager.com report covers in France:

  • Personal and company information
  • Company affiliations
  • Employment history
  • Educational verification
  • Income and salary information
  • Bank accounts
  • Bankruptcy records
  • Other personal assets
  • Newspaper/magazine research
  • Criminal records
  • Eurex (European exchange) and French Exchange Operation Commission research

International Coverage -

South Africa

Here is a partial list of what our CheckFundManager.com report will research in South Africa:

  • The 3 major SA credit agencies (personal and company credit history, ratings and adverse reports, including Civil Court records)
  • The Company Registrar (company affiliations)
  • The Deeds Office (9 separate data base searches for properties registered
  • Property related contracts, i.e. mortgages, and sequestrations)
  • Employers Mutual Protection Service (a record of staff dismissed for dishonesty)
  • The proprietary Wolf Data Base (a record of reports of corruption and fraud)
  • The ITC 'Hawk' data base (a record of reports of aliases, theft and fraud)
  • All major SA newspaper/magazine archives
  • Johannesburg Stock Exchange Surveillance department (similar to the US SEC)

International Coverage -

Canada

Here a partial list of what the CheckFundManager.com report covers in Canada:

  • Civil court filings
  • Corporation Profile Report
  • Bankruptcy filings
  • Personal Property Security Act Lien records
  • Education verification
  • Ministry of Transportation registrations
  • Personal information
  • Driving violations
  • All major Canadian & provincial newspaper/magazine archives
  • The Federal Government Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy records
  • Canadian Securities commissions (Ontario Securities Commission for Toronto, or the Quebec Securities Commission for Montreal for example) registrations and violations

International Coverage -

The Caribbean, Latin America

We can now conduct civil court research throughout many islands in the Caribbean. Generally speaking, most companies that are incorporate in Bermuda, the British West Indies, the Bahamas, and elsewhere in the Caribbean have on shore operations as well. Some of the Caribbean islands have regulatory bodies, some do not.

International Coverage -

Australia

Here is a partial list of what the CheckFundManager.com investigation covers in Australia:

  • Company report with both personal biographies and financial information
  • Company Registrar (company affiliations)
  • The Titles Office (properties, mortgages and values)
  • Litigation listings
  • National Personal Insolvency Index
  • All major SA newspaper/magazine archives
  • Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) registrations and violations

International Coverage -

Hong Kong and Singapore

Knowing the managers Hong Kong Identification number and Chinese name helps to open the door to research that can be performed there; however we can still perform the following research for the same cost as our domestic "Comprehensive" research.

Here is a list of what our CheckFundManager.com investigative report covers in Hong Kong or Singapore:

  • Civil Litigation research
  • Insolvency (bankruptcy) research
  • All US or UK research as indicated in the "Basic Report" description below
  • Internet and International Media research

Report Enhancements & CheckFundManager.com Milestones

  • 1999 National Due Diligence capability established
  • 1999 Online report ordering and retrieval system goes online
  • 2000 Interactive "Live" links added
  • 2001 Multiple news/media publications research
  • 2001 Multiple state criminal records checks
  • 2001 SEC references written filings research
  • 2001 Regulatory body research
  • 2001 Executive Summary added
  • Jan 2002 International network of investigators first established
  • Jan 2002 - Corporate research includes checking Federal court records for entries by corporate name.
  • March 2002 - Basic searches extended to the UK
  • April 2002 - Enhanced Summary section descriptions: Personal narrative written to give executives a quick read and overview.
  • April 2002 Federal Denied Persons lists examined
  • May 2002 Multiple County Level Felony Misdemeanor searches
  • June 2002 - Follow up retrieval and delivery of court documents
  • August 2002 Local Civil suit search by primary Business Name search
  • September 2002 Local network of enforcement commissioners established
  • October 2002 Non-public information research from the SEC
  • January 2003 All 50 state civil litigation research
  • March 2003 Due Diligence Background checks
  • April 2003 "Inventory" of research surpasses 2000 reports
  • May 2003 "Fund Manager Basic" report introduced
  • June 2003 Low cost UK Civil Courts and UK company report introduced
  • July 2003 "Fund Company Basic" report introduced
  • Jan 2004 Additional Patriot Act Compliance sources added
  • April 2004 "Inventory" of research surpasses 3000 reports
  • May 24, 2004 CheckFundManager.com featured in Business Week Article entitled "Hotshots with Hidden Rapsheets"
  • July 2004 NASD Arbitration back to 1981 & Disciplinary actions back to 1990
  • August 2004 Stock Exchange Disciplinary Decisions back to 1972
  • October 25, 2004 CheckFundManager.com featured in Alternative Universe article entitled "Beyond BrokerCheck"
  • December 2004 "Inventory" of research surpasses 3500 reports
  • April 2005 Free CheckFundManager.com "Watch List" created
  • June 2005 Paul Eustace of Philadelphia Alternative Asset Management charged with defrauding clients
  • July 2005 “Advanced Due Diligence Techniques” at the Princeton Club
  • September 2005 Bayou Fund Collapses
  • October 2005 Yale School of Management Investment Management Conference
  • October 2005 John Whittier sentenced after committing securities fraund with hedge-fund Wood River Capital
  • November 2005 Comprehensive Hong Kong Investigations added
  • December 2005 "Inventory" of research surpasses 5500 reports
  • January 2006 Surveillance Investigations begin
  • February 2006 Comprehensive Swiss Investigations added, all of Europe available
  • March 2006 Comprehensive Investigations added to cover Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and Indonesia
  • April 2006 Comprehensive Investigations added to cover Africa and the Middle East
  • May 2006 Comprehensive Investigations added to cover Russia and Eastern Europe
  • June 2006 Comprehensive Investigations added to cover South America
  • July 2006 "Inventory" of research surpasses 7000 reports
  • September 2006 International Coverage Map completed
  • January 2007 "Inventory" of research surpasses 8000 reports
  • September 2007 Florian Homm/ Absolute Capital Busts
  • January 2008 "Inventory" of research surpasses 12,000 reports
  • June 2008 "Ongoing Due Diligence Monitoring" introduced
  • October 2008 Petters Group $3 billion fraud scheme revealed
  • December 2008 Bernie Madoff $30 billion Ponzi scheme is revealed
  • January 2009 "Inventory" of research surpasses 15,000 reports
  • February 2009 "Auditor" service provider checks introduced
  • February 2009 R. Allen Sanford $8 billion fraud revealed
  • September 2009 "Deluxe Credentials Verification" service introduced
  • October 2009 Galleon Group's Raj Rajaratnam charged with conspiracy and securities fraud
  • December 2009 Westgate Capital Management's James Nicholson Ponzi scheme uncovered
  • January 2010 "Gold Level" investigation service introduced

Included in the Basic report:

  • Executive Overview
  • Educational Verification
  • Professional credentials Verification
  • Property record research
  • Corporate & Business affiliations
  • NFA/CFTC & NASD Regulators Registrations
  • SEC Cases & Proceedings
  • U.S. Federal Denied Persons Patriot Act list research
  • NASD Disclosure events research
  • NFA/CFTC disciplinary actions
  • NASD Arbitration back to 1981 & Disciplinary actions back to 1990
  • Non-published incidents of disciplinary actions research
  • Stock Exchange Disciplinary Decisions back to 1972
  • Multiple State Dept. of Corrections Incarceration, Parole, and Probation records
  • Multiple State Criminal records
  • Multiple County level Criminal record search
  • National Bankruptcies, Liens and Judgments
  • Federal criminal, civil, appellate (subject and primary company)
  • 50 State Civil court records
  • 50 State UCC, liens, judgments research
  • Name, Social Security Number Validation, Relatives and Address History
  • For the United Kingdom: directorships, Ltd company essentials financial report, UK regulatory, UK media, individual insolvencies and county court judgment research UK Financial Services Authority research

Included in the Comprehensive report:

  • All of the research from the Basic Report above, plus
  • Full Internet research
  • Full Media (going back up to 25 years) and news publication research
  • Media summaries of findings
  • Internet summaries of findings
  • Biographical summaries
  • Alternative Investment Publications research
  • Federal enforcement commissioners non-public research
  • State and local enforcement commissioners research
  • Placement on our 3 year Watch List

How do I find out more about Check Fund Manager?

Find out more by taking the first step and contacting Check Fund Manager today. Please contact us to get started. We will discuss our investigative process in detail with you and even give you examples to show you why hundreds of institutional investors have chosen Check Fund Manager. We will outline our business practices to you and provide business references to other clients. Unlike other firms, Check Fund Manager performs work exclusively for the alternative investment industry. We do not contact the fund manager under investigation, nor is he aware that he is being investigated. You do not need to break the trust relationship you have established with your manager, as signed consent of the manager under investigation is not required. Best of all, we can give you an access password so you can read for yourself the names of the thousands of managers and their funds we have investigated. We've probably already investigated many of your managers. Contact Check Fund Manager today!













Bernie Madoff

























Raj Rajaratnam




























Francesco Rusciano









"We were ready to make an investment until your report showed all the reasons not to do so. So glad we used your service. Thanks, you saved us from making a costly mistake." - Fund of Funds Manager, New York, NY








"Thanks for getting all 50 reports done in less than 72 hours, great job, very comprehensive reports and excellent communication. Will be glad to be a reference for you." - Capital Markets Investment Manager, Chicago, IL
























































Bernie Madoff

























"Excellent job! I will be using your service in the future, I assure you. I am very impressed with the quick, comprehensive work that you produced for me." - Fund of Funds Manager, Greenwich, CT







Tom Petters











Florian Homm photo:AP
























"Excellent reports, great research and at a cost that is half of what the competition charges. We will be using your services again." - Fund of Funds Manager, New York, NY













































John Xanthoudakis



"We were ready to make an investment until your report showed all the reasons not to do so. So glad we used your service. Thanks, you saved us from making a costly mistake." - Fund of Funds Manager, New York, NY


























"Thanks for getting all 50 reports done in less than 72 hours, great job, very comprehensive reports and excellent communication. Will be glad to be a reference for you." - Capital Markets Investment Manager, Chicago, IL


















Sam Israel








"Excellent job! I will be using your service in the future, I assure you. I am very impressed with the quick, comprehensive work that you produced for me." - Fund of Funds Manager, Greenwich, CT


























"Excellent reports, great research and at a cost that is half of what the competition charges. We will be using your services again." - Fund of Funds Manager, New York, NY














































"We were ready to make an investment until your report showed all the reasons not to do so. So glad we used your service. Thanks, you saved us from making a costly mistake." - Fund of Funds Manager, New York, NY


























"Thanks for getting all 50 reports done in less than 72 hours, great job, very comprehensive reports and excellent communication. Will be glad to be a reference for you." - Capital Markets Investment Manager, Chicago, IL


























"Excellent job! I will be using your service in the future, I assure you. I am very impressed with the quick, comprehensive work that you produced for me." - Fund of Funds Manager, Greenwich, CT


























"Excellent reports, great research and at a cost that is half of what the competition charges. We will be using your services again." - Fund of Funds Manager, New York, NY

© 2010, Check Fund Manager LLC : West Hartford, CT 06137-0156
All Rights Reserved. All Unauthorized Duplication Prohibited. 12/29/11