The Spaventa Playbook: How Pre-IPO Access Funds Became the SEC's Top Fraud Priority
The SEC charged Andrew Spaventa for a $74M pre-IPO fund fraud built on hidden markups averaging 46% above cost and 100-plus unregistered cold-callers.
Real Estate Syndication Sponsor Track Record Red Flags: A Due Diligence Checklist
Sponsors write their own track records, and nobody audits the pitch deck before it reaches you.
GlennCap's Jonathan Glenn: Inside a $2.7 Million Cherry-Picking Fraud and Its Unfinished Restitution
Jonathan Vincent Glenn, owner of Connecticut-based GlennCap LLC, cherry-picked trades to defraud more than 45 clients out of over $2.7 million between January 2020 and March 2022.
SEC Charges Tricolor Executives: How $800M in Phantom Collateral Sank a $1.9B ABS Program
TL;DR: The SEC charged three former executives of Tricolor Holdings with fraud after the Dallas-based subprime auto lender raised more than $1.9 billion from investors by pledging the same car loans a
The Continuation Fund Conflict Wave Is Just Getting Started
TL;DR: Only 3 of 43 LP Advisory Board members voted to approve a $1.5 billion continuation vehicle, and the deal closed anyway. That single data point from ADIC v. EMG, Delaware Court of Chancery, C.A
How to Spot a Pre-IPO Share Markup Scheme Before You Wire Money
TL;DR: The SEC's August 2026 complaint against Andrew Spaventa and his three entities (The Spaventa Group LLC, TSG Capital Advisors LLC, and TSG Alpha Partners LLC) describes a $74 million boiler-room
SEC Charges Spaventa and TSG Entities Over $74 Million Pre-IPO Markup Scheme: What Investors Should Learn
The SEC charged Andrew Spaventa and three companies he controlled, The Spaventa Group LLC, TSG Capital Advisors LLC, and TSG Alpha Partners LLC, with fraud on August 14, 2026, alleging a scheme that...
Hiive Review 2026: What This Pre-IPO Marketplace Actually Costs
Hiive is a FINRA-registered broker-dealer that runs a live order book for buying and selling shares in pre-IPO companies like SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI. My verdict after digging through its Form...
What a Fund Administrator Does, and Why LPs Now Require One
TL;DR: A hedge fund manager named Grant Grieve invented a fake back-office administrator called Global Hedge Fund Services and used it to certify returns that didn't exist. The SEC charged him with securities fraud...
The SEC's New Risk Alert Just Told You What Examiners Are Writing Down About Your Fee Disclosures
TL;DR: On June 9, 2026, the SEC's Division of Examinations published a Risk Alert on economic conflicts of interest at registered investment advisers, and one day earlier the agency fined Phoenix-based Foundations...
SEC's First Rule 18f-4 Enforcement: What Every ETF Investor Needs to Know
The SEC just issued its first-ever enforcement action under Rule 18f-4 — the derivatives risk management rule for investment companies. The target was Simplify Asset Management. The penalty was
RAD Diversified REIT $152M SEC Fraud: What Every Real Estate Investor Should Know
According to the SEC's litigation release filed July 29, 2026 , RAD Diversified REIT Inc. raised $152 million from more than 5,500 investors through unregistered securities offerings — then spent tens
REIT Fraud Red Flags: The 10-Point Checklist Every Investor Needs
Two REIT enforcement actions landed in July 2026 alone: the SEC charged RAD Diversified REIT on July 29 for a $152 million fraud scheme involving 5,500+ investors , and the Texas State Securities Boar
NAV Loans in Private Equity: What LPs Don't Know Can Hurt Them
According to ILPA guidance on NAV facilities , the following analysis reflects current market conditions and publicly available data. NAV Loans in Private Equity: What LPs Don't Know Can Hurt Them bod
How to Read a Private Placement Memorandum: Red Flags Before You Wire Money
TL;DR: A private placement memorandum is not reviewed, approved, or fact-checked by the SEC before it lands in your inbox. In 2025 alone, four Reg D sponsors raised a combined $489M from investors...
SEC Fraud Alert: How a Fake Form ADV Fooled Investors in 2026
18 million default judgment against AI Financial Education Foundation Ltd. for filing false Form ADV disclosures claiming $10 million in AUM, a Denver office, and a private fund that did not exist. Th
SEC Nails Unregistered Fund Adviser for Charging 23% of Capital as Fees: What Every LP Must Know
SEC Fraud: Unregistered Adviser Charged LPs 23% in Fees The SEC filed a complaint against an unregistered private fund adviser that paid itself more than $515,000 in management fees — equal to 23% of
SEC Probes Continuation Vehicles: What Accredited Investors in GP-Led Funds Must Know Now
TL;DR — What You Need to Know The SEC is actively investigating continuation vehicles (CVs) for conflicts of interest, valuation manipulation, and inadequate LP disclosures. This is not a future risk;
SEC Chair Says Fraud Is Under Investigation in Private Credit: What Every LP Must Understand
SEC Investigates Private Credit Fraud: What Atkins Said SEC Chair Says Fraud Is Under Investigation in Private Credit: What Every LP Must Understand TL;DR SEC Chairman Paul Atkins confirmed at the May
TZP Group: The Lower-Middle-Market PE Firm That Got Caught Overcharging LPs (And What It Teaches Us)
In August 2025, the SEC ordered TZP Management Associates to repay $683,877 after it overcharged fund LPs on management fees for five years. A small number relative to $2.4B in assets. A loud signal a