US charges consultant with fraud over Chinese listings

The US securities authority charged a consultant registered in New Jersey on Tuesday with defrauding investors in Chinese companies he assisted with accessing US capital markets, Reuters reported. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Huakang Zhou and his company, Warner Technology and Investment Corporation, with violating a number of securities laws including failing to report assets held and “outright fraud,” the SEC said. Zhou made millions of dollars helping firms that later faced major difficulties, such as China Yingxia International, which dissolved in 2009 amid allegations of fraud, the agency said. The SEC alleges, among other charges, that Zhou helped a Chinese client meet the US$4 million investor bid necessary for an offering on the Nasdaq by fabricating shareholders, leading to the company listing in 2010. Zhou is also accused of misappropriating investor funds to pay for personal property.