The Roundup

A weekly tab of what’s going 

on in the courts.

By Logan Beck

For BigTrial.Net

U.S. For the Eastern District of Pennsylvania:

Trust can take years to build and seconds to destroy, as evidenced by a Florida investment advisor who defrauded his clients of approximately $800,000 total, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Sean Donald Premock, 43, was fired from a previous employer after selling investments that were not approved. After he was let go, he began his own business venture, creating his own investment and financial planning companies...which he allegedly used to steal from his clients.

The indictment states that Premock used his businesses to trick his clients, mostly elderly citizens, out of money, claiming that he was investing their money safely, but was actually using their investments on himself and other clients.

Despite being permanently barred by FINRA, and having his licenses to work as a stock broker and advisor suspended, Premock continued working, sweeping the information under the rug and away from his clients.

As a result, he is being charged with 9 counts of mail fraud, 9 counts of wire fraud, one count of securities fraud, and one count of investment adviser fraud. Premock faces a maximum of 385 years in prison, a five-year supervised release, a $9,510,000 fine, and more.

U.S. For the District of New Jersey:

When a woman receives an ultrasound, doctors use a special gel on her stomach that allows an image of the infant to appear on a screen. The gel is also used for other medical procedures such as an EKG.

In February of 2012, a hospital in Michigan reported that 16 patients were infected with a bacterial pathogen known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the ultrasound gel from Pharmaceutical Innovations Inc. was to blame.

According to the Center for Disease Control, Pseudomonas aeruginosa can generally be treated with antibiotics, however in hospitalized patients, treatment may not be so simple, due to antibiotic resistance.

On July 6, Pharmaceutical Innovations Inc, a medical device manufacturer based out of Newark pleaded guilty after it distributed contaminated ultrasound gel.

The company is being charged with two misdemeanor counts of introducing adulterated medical devices into interstate commerce, a criminal fine of $50,000, and must forfeit the value of the unadulterated ultrasound gel, around $50,000. Additionally, the company faces a two year suspension.

New Jersey Attorney General:

A New Jersey man successfully proved that blood is not always thicker than water after attempting to steal thousands of dollars from his elderly aunt’s annuity.

Jason Crozier, 45, somehow managed to impersonate his aunt several times in both phone calls and emails to Prudential Insurance Company of America.

While he obviously did not receive permission from his aunt to make said phone calls, he readily distributed her private information to the company including her social security number, birth date, and annuity contract number. He then submitted paperwork to withdraw $5,500 from her account.

Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Christopher Iu said in a statement that fraud and financial crimes against the elderly have serious consequences, as Crozier found out the hard way.

“This sentence should serve as a strong deterrent to anyone tempted to line their pockets through criminal deceit,” Iu said.

Crozier was sentenced to five years in prison, after being found guilty of second-degree insurance fraud, third-degree attempted theft  by deception, and fourth-degree identify theft.