Securities and Exchange Commission v. John Wesley Savage and Princeton Research, Inc., Civil Action No. 98-CV-7179 (S. D. Florida, filed October 27, 1998) Litigation Release No. 15954, October 27, 1998. FLORIDA STOCK TOUTER AND HIS COMPANY PAY CIVIL FINE OF $40,000 IN CONNECTION WITH SEC CHARGES THAT THEY FAILED TO DISCLOSE THEIR RECEIPT OF COMPENSATION FOR TOUTING The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that on October 27, 1998 it filed a complaint charging John Wesley Savage (Savage) and Princeton Research, Inc. (Princeton) with having violated the federal securities laws in connection with their touting of the stocks of seven different companies. Simultaneous with the filing of the complaint, Savage and Princeton consented, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, to the entry of a permanent injunction and to pay a civil penalty of $40,000. The SEC's complaint alleges that Savage, who is Princeton's president, received compensation in the form of stock or stock options from five companies in exchange for touting those companies or their securities. The SEC's complaint also alleges that in violation of Section 17(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act), Savage and Princeton failed to disclose that receipt of compensation in the newsletters and daily reports in which Savage and Princeton touted those stocks and which they disseminated through the mail, by fax, and over the Internet. In addition, the SEC's complaint alleges that Savage and Princeton made material misrepresentations concerning the stocks of two other companies. According to the SEC's complaint, while Savage owned shares of those two companies' stocks, Savage and Princeton made baseless predictions about the likely future price of those stocks and also made misrepresentations about the financial condition of one of the companies. Savage and Princeton consented to the relief the SEC sought in its complaint, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations. Specifically, Savage and Princeton consented to a permanent injunction against future violations of Sections 17(a) and 17(b) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Savage and Princeton also agreed to pay a civil money penalty of $40,000.