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by Mike Caswell

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has won a 10-year ban against James Panther, a California man charged in the $34-million manipulation of Biozoom Inc. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.) The SEC said that Mr. Panther created nominee brokerage accounts and organized a promotional campaign that coincided with manipulative trading in the stock. Mr. Panther's co-defendants included former Vancouver lawyer Faiyaz Dean, who helped others hide their control over the company, according to the government.

The ban for Mr. Panther is contained in a judgment handed down on Friday, Jan. 24, in federal court in New York. The judge has banned Mr. Panther from penny stocks for 10 years and has entered an injunction barring future violations. Mr. Panther must also pay a $100,000 fine.

The penalties came without a trial, Mr. Panther having previously pleaded guilty to related criminal charges in Arizona. He avoided jail in that case, with the judge sentencing him to five years of probation. In receiving the probationary sentence, he received credit for his co-operation with authorities.

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