U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

LITIGATION RELEASE NO. 21798 / January 6, 2011

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Gendarme Capital Corp., et al., Case No. 2:11-cv-00053-FCD-KJN (E.D. CA filed January 6, 2011)

SEC CHARGES INVESTMENT FIRM WITH ILLEGALLY DUMPING BILLIONS OF PENNY STOCK SHARES

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Gendarme Capital Corporation ("Gendarme") and its two executives with engaging in an illegal stock distribution scheme.

The SEC alleges that Gendarme repeatedly acquired deeply discounted shares from penny stock issuers under the pretense of a long-term investment and then dumped the shares into the market, essentially effecting public stock distributions without complying with the disclosure requirements of the federal securities laws. Through its two principals â€" CEO Ezat Rahimi of Elk Grove, Calif., and vice president Ian Lamphere of Lawrenceville, Vt. â€" Gendarme sold more than 15 billion shares of at least a dozen companies, netting illicit profits of more than $1.6 million.

According to the SEC's complaint, filed today in federal district court in Sacramento, Gendarme began entering into agreements with penny stock issuers in early 2008. The agreements gave Gendarme the right to purchase stock at 30 to 50 percent discounts to the market price. The SEC alleges that, in an effort to avoid the registration and disclosure obligations of the federal securities laws, Gendarme falsely represented to issuers that it was purchasing shares for "investment purposes only." Contrary to those representations, Gendarme quickly dumped most of these shares on the public markets, profiting by more than $1.6 million from its unregistered stock distributions.

The SEC also alleges that Gendarme's outside attorney â€" Cassandra Armento of Greenwich, N.Y. â€" violated the securities laws by issuing more than 50 false legal opinion letters in support of Gendarme's activities. Armento repeatedly informed stock transfer agents that Gendarme was not an "underwriter" and thus had no intent to sell the stock. Thus, shares could be obtained by Gendarme without trading restrictions. However, the SEC alleges Armento made no inquiry into whether Gendarme intended to resell the stock, and was aware of information showing that it was likely that Gendarme was dumping the stock into the market.

In its federal court action, the SEC alleges Gendarme, Rahimi, Lamphere, and Armento violated Sections 5(a) and (c) of the Securities Act of 1933. Against Gendarme, Rahimi, and Lamphere, the SEC seeks injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, monetary penalties, and an order barring them from participating in an offering of penny stock. The SEC seeks injunctive relief and monetary penalties against Armento.