UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

             LITIGATION RELEASE NO.  16118 \ April  22,   1999

             Securities and Exchange Commission v. Anthony J. Marino,
             Gregory C. Johnson, Richard Ames Higgins, Mousa
             International, AJM Global, and Consortio Intranacional,
             Civil Action No. 99-CV-0259G (USDC Utah)

                  The Commission has obtained an order freezing the
             assets and temporarily restraining Anthony J. Marino and
             Gregory C. Johnson, Richard Ames Higgins, Mousa
             International, AJM Global and Consortio Intranacional from
             making fraudulent sales of unregistered interests in "prime
             bank" trading programs.  It was alleged that the defendants
             have sold over $15 million in such interests by representing
             to investors that:  they could expect guaranteed returns of
             20% per month; the trading program had been approved by the
             Federal Reserve Board; and investments in the program were
             insured against loss through a policy issued by Lloyds of
             London.  The Order was entered April 20, 1999 by the
             Honorable J. Thomas Greene, United States District Judge for
             the District of Utah and included a clause requiring the
             defendants to repatriate any assets which had be transferred
             out of the United States.

                  The complaint named as defendants Anthony J. Marino and
             Gregory C. Johnson, both of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Richard
             Ames Higgins, a Sandy, Utah attorney.  The complaint also
             names Mousa International, AJM Global and Consortio
             Intranacional, entities controlled by one or more of the
             individual defendants.  The complaint alleged that since at
             least January of 1998, the defendants had engaged in
             fraudulent sales of interests in a "prime bank" scheme in
             which they guaranteed a high return to be generated by
             repeated purchases and sales of financial instruments issued
             by the world’s "prime banks."  Among other
             misrepresentations, the defendants asserted the investors’
             principal was insured through Lloyds of London.  The
             defendants also represented that the Federal Reserve Bank
             had approved the investment scheme.  Further, the Commission
             alleges that Anthony J. Marino did not disclose to investors
             that he has been convicted of securities fraud by the State
             of Nevada and ordered to cease and desist from fraudulently
             soliciting investments in securities by the State of New
             Mexico.  The Commission alleged that through their false and
             misleading statements, the defendants violated the antifraud
             provisions, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and
             Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and
             Rule 10b-5 thereunder.  The Commission also alleged that the
             securities sold by the Defendants were investment contracts
             which should have been registered pursuant to Sections 5(a)
             and (c) of the Securities Act of 1933.

                  The Commission wishes to thank the United States Secret
             Service, the State of Utah Securities Division and the
             County Attorney’s Office for Utah County, Utah for their
             assistance in this matter.