Securities & Exchange Commission v. Callahan

2 F. Supp. 3d 427, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28458, 2014 WL 860041
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedMarch 5, 2014
DocketNo. 12-CV-1065 (ADS)(AKT)
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 2 F. Supp. 3d 427 (Securities & Exchange Commission v. Callahan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Securities & Exchange Commission v. Callahan, 2 F. Supp. 3d 427, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28458, 2014 WL 860041 (E.D.N.Y. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION AND ORDER

SPATT, District Judge.

In this securities fraud action, the Plaintiff United States Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) alleges that in violation of § 17(a)(1), (2) and (3) of the Securities Act, § 10(b) of the Exchange Act and §§ 206(1), (2) and (4) of the Advisers Act, the Defendants Brian Raymond Callahan (“Callahan”), Adam Judd Manson (“Manson”), Distinctive Investments, LLC (“Distinctive Investments”) and Distinctive Ventures, LLC (“Distinctive Ventures,” and collectively, the “Defendants”) engaged in or aided and abetted “a long-running fraudulent Ponzi scheme in which investors were routinely misled about the nature of their investments and also were unaware of [the] frequent misuse and misappropriation of their money.” (Amend. Compl., ¶ 1.)

Presently before the Court is a motion by RBS Citizens, National Association (“RBS Citizens”) to intervene pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Fed. R. Civ.P.”) 24 and for relief from the Court’s March 27, 2012 Preliminary Injunction Order, in which the Court, in relevant part, established a Receivership, appointed a Receiver and issued an “Asset Freeze” and [430]*430a “Stay of Litigation.” In this regard, RBS Citizens seeks to release the assets and business operations of Ten Hillside Road, LLC (“Hillside”) and Cromwell AAA Self Storage, LLC (“Cromwell AAA”) from the Asset Freeze and Stay of Litigation. For the reasons that follow, the Court denies the motion by RBS Citizens.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Underlying Facts

Hillside owns real property located at Ten Hillside Road, Cromwell, Connecticut (the “Property”), which it leases to Cromwell AAA pursuant to the terms of a written lease. On the Property, Cromwell AAA operates a business that rents self-storage units to the general public and sells certain related products (the “Business”). The Defendant Callahan is the sole member of Hillside, while the Defendant Callahan and his father, Brian F. Callahan, are the sole members of Cromwell AAA. At present, Brian F. Callahan manages the daily operation of the Business, including collecting rent from tenants of the storage units, paying bills and overseeing maintenance.

Hillside is obligated to RBS Citizens pursuant to (1) two Commercial Term Promissory Notes (the “Notes”) in the original principal amounts of $2,170,000 and $280,000 and (2) an International Swap Dealers Association, Inc. Master Agreement, together with a Schedule and Confirmation letter agreement (collectively, the “Swap Agreement”). Both the Notes and the Swap Agreement were entered into between Hillside and RBS Citizens in December of 2003. As of July 1, 2013, Hillside owed RBS Citizens a total of $1,893,254.12 under the Notes and the Swap Agreement, which included (1) $1,599,477 for the principal on the first Note; (2) $198,017 for the principal on the Second Note; and (3) $95,760.12 for the default interest. Further, under the Swap Agreement, there is a breakage fee of approximately $49,320 in the event the Swap Agreement is broken.

The obligations owed by Hillside to RBS Citizens are secured by the following: (1) a first priority mortgage on the Property (the “Mortgage”); (2) a first priority Collateral Assignment of Leases and Rentals (the “Collateral Assignment”), which includes an assignment of all leases, rental agreements and occupancy agreements pertaining to the Property (collectively, the “Leases”) and all rents, income and profits arising from any Lease or otherwise derived from or produced by the Property, however designated (collectively, the “Property Income”), as well as a Guaranty signed by Hillside and Cromwell AAA; and (3) a first priority security interest in all personal property assets of Hillside pursuant to a Security Agreement.

B. Procedural History

On March 5, 2012, the SEC commenced this action against Callahan, Horizon Global Advisors Ltd. (“HGA Ltd.”) and Horizon Global Advisors, LLC (“HGA LLC”). The SEC alleged that, in violation of § 17(a)(1), (2) and (3) of the Securities Act, § 10(b) of the Exchange Act and §§ 206(1), (2) and (4) of the Advisers Act, Callahan, HGA Ltd. and HGA LLC “engaged in a long-running fraud in which investors were routinely misled about the nature of their investments and also were unaware of [Callahan, HGA Ltd. and HGA LLC’s] frequent misuse and misappropriation of their money.” (Orig. Compl., ¶ 1.)

On March 27, 2012, the Court issued a preliminary injunction in which it placed HGA Ltd. and HGA LLC into Receivership and appointed Steven Weinberg (“Weinberg”) as their Receiver (the [431]*431“March 27, 2012 Order”). The March 27, 2012 Order also instituted an “Asset Freeze,” as follows:

“Receivership Assets” are hereby defined as all assets titled in the name of the Receivership Defendants. Except as otherwise specified herein, all Receivership Assets and all of the funds and other assets of the Defendants presently held by them, for their direct or indirect benefit, under their direct or indirect control or over which they exercise actual or apparent investment or other authority, in whatever form such assets may presently exist and wherever located ... are frozen until further order of this Court. Accordingly, all personas and entities with direct or indirect control over any Receivership Assets and/or any assets frozen by this Order other than the Receiver, are hereby restrained and enjoined from directly or indirectly transferring, setting off, receiving, changing, selling, pledging, assigning, liquidating or otherwise disposing of or withdrawing such assets.

(March 27, 2012 Order, ¶ 3.)

As a result, the Court froze the assets of Cromwell AAA and Hillside, including Cromwell AAA’s operating account at RBS Citizens (the “RBS Citizens bank account”), because Callahan maintained control over these assets and may have improperly diverted funds from investors to Hillside and Cromwell AAA. However, the Court permitted Callahan “to make the April 2012 mortgage payment from the [RBS] Citizens [blank account in the name Cromwell AAA [ ], account no. XXXX1928, not to exceed $21,000 for the property associated with Cromwell AAA [ ].” (March 27, 2012 Order, ¶ 3.) The Court further directed Callahan to “provide proof of this payment to the [SEC] within five business days of the payment.” (March 27, 2012 Order, ¶ 3.) The March 27, 2012 Order did not provide for any additional mortgage payments to be made to RBS Citizens pursuant to the Notes and Swap Agreement. In addition, pursuant to the March 27, 2012 Order, the Receiver allegedly asserted control over the Property, the operation of the Business and the RBS Citizens bank account.

Moreover, the March 27, 2012 also included a “Stay of Litigation,” which provided as follows:

[T]he following proceedings, excluding the instant proceeding and all police or regulatory actions and actions of the [SEC] related to the above-captioned enforcement action, are stayed until further Order of this Court:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2 F. Supp. 3d 427, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28458, 2014 WL 860041, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/securities-exchange-commission-v-callahan-nyed-2014.