10 Ton Physical Gold Order

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I wondered this morning what turned gold on a dime...

Gold & Silver Regain $1700 & $33 on 10 Ton Physical Gold Order
December 6, 2012 By The Doc

After being treated to the standard COMEX open waterfalls that saw gold smashed as low as $1684 and silver under $32.50, both metals made a vertical move to the upside around 10am EST.

Gold cleared $1700 trading as high as $1704, and silver is back above $33, reaching $33.38.

The impetus for the move appears to be a massive physical gold buy order in the range of 10 metric tons.

We can also confirm that SDBullion was in fact approached Wednesday by a UK hedge fund manger seeking the acquisition of 20 metric tons of gold in good delivery bar form, which had been physically tested for purity above .9995 within the past 5 years.

The fact that a London fund manager has resorted to contacting US retail bullion dealers in attempt to fill a 20 ton gold order speaks volumes to the availability of physical gold (or lack thereof) for delivery in London and the extreme tightness in the physical market.

http://www.silverdoctors.com/gold-silver-regain-1700-33-on-rumor-of-large-physical-gold-order/

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December 5, 2012

CFTC Charges Hunter Wise Commodities, Lloyds Commodities, C.D. Hopkins Financial, United States Capital Trust, Newbridge Alliance, Blackstone Metals Group, and their Principals in Multi-Million Dollar Fraudulent Precious Metals Scheme

CFTC alleges that defendants conducted illegal, off-exchange commodity transactions, and deceived customers in connection with financed transactions in precious metals
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that on December 5, 2012, it filed a civil injunctive enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Hunter Wise Commodities, LLC; Hunter Wise Services, LLC; Hunter Wise Credit, LLC; Hunter Wise Trading, LLC; Lloyds Commodities, LLC; Lloyds Commodities Credit Company, LLC; Lloyds Services, LLC; C.D. Hopkins Financial, LLC; Hard Asset Lending Group, LLC; Blackstone Metals Group, LLC; Newbridge Alliance, Inc.; United States Capital Trust, LLC; Harold Edward Martin, Jr.; Fred Jager; James Burbage; Frank Gaudino; Baris Keser; Chadewick Hopkins; John King; and David A. Moore. The complaint charges these entities and individuals with fraudulently marketing illegal, off-exchange retail commodity contracts. The complaint alleges that Hunter Wise Commodities, the orchestrator of the fraud, has taken in at least $46 million in customer funds since July 2011.

According to the CFTC complaint, the defendants claim to sell physical metals, including gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and copper, to retail customers in retail commodity transactions. Under the defendants’ retail commodity transactions investment contract, customers allegedly make a down payment on certain quantities of physical metals, usually 25 percent of the total purchase price. Defendants allegedly claim to arrange loans for the balance of the purchase price, and advise customers that their physical metals will be stored in a secure depository.

The complaint further alleges that these statements were false, and that the defendants do not purchase any physical metals, arrange loans for their customers to purchase physical metals, or arrange for storage of physical metals for any customers participating in their retail commodity transactions. Instead, all the transactions are just paper transactions, according to the complaint. Defendants allegedly do not own or sell metals to customers; customers are charged storage and insurance fees on metals that do not exist; and are charged interest on loans, which are never made by the defendants.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) of 2010 expanded the CFTC’s jurisdiction over transactions like these, and requires that such transactions be executed on or subject to the rules of a board of trade, exchange or commodity market, according to the complaint. This new requirement took effect on July 16, 2011. The complaint alleges that all of the defendants’ financed commodity transactions after July 16, 2011, were illegal. The complaint also alleges that the defendants defrauded customers in all of these financed commodity transactions.

David Meister, the CFTC’s Director of Enforcement stated: “Here is a prime example of how the Dodd-Frank Act provided the Commission with additional strong authority to go after wrong-doers, such as, as alleged in the complaint, individuals who prey on people looking to make retail investments in commodities like gold and silver. We will use this new authority to the fullest extent possible.”

In January 2012 the CFTC issued a Consumer Fraud Advisory (see Advisory under Related Links) regarding precious metals fraud, saying that it had seen an increase in the number of companies offering customers the opportunity to buy or invest in precious metals. The CFTC’s Consumer Fraud Advisory specifically warned that frequently companies do not purchase any physical metals for the customer, instead simply keeping the customer’s funds. The Consumer Fraud Advisory further cautioned consumers that leveraged commodity transactions are unlawful unless executed on a regulated exchange.

In its continuing litigation against the defendants, the CFTC is seeking preliminary and permanent civil injunctions in addition to other remedial relief, including restitution to customers.

The CFTC thanks the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority for their assistance.

The CFTC Division of Enforcement staff responsible for this action are Carlin Metzger, Joseph Konizeski, Heather Johnson, Stephanie Reinhart, Jennifer Smiley, Judith McCorkle, Jeff LeRiche, Peter Riggs, Jennifer Chapin, Steven Turley, Brigitte Weyls, Joseph Patrick, Susan Gradman, Theodore Glotfelty, William Janulis, Scott Williamson, Rosemary Hollinger, and Richard Wagner.

Media Contacts
Dennis Holden
202-418-5088
http://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/pr6447-12