Galvin claims software developer defrauded investors in trading scheme

William Galvin

Bruce S. Horowitz charged big upfront fees but never invested any of his clients' money, the Massachusetts regulator claims.

The head of the state securities department in Massachusetts charged a man and his trading software company with fraudulently taking money to trade in securities, and then failing to execute any trades.

Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin called for banning Bruce S. Horowitz and his company, Massive Abundance from the securities business in Massachusetts, to cease all activities, and to make full restitution to its investors, according to the complaint notice. The company and Mr. Horowitz were never registered with the state to operate in the securities market.

Over the last two years, Mr. Horowitz solicited money from various investors from Massachusetts, and charged upfront fees of at least 200% of the value of the investors’ trading capital, the notice said.

He found his victims through attending other financial advisers’ “meet-up” group seminars on equity index annuities. At the seminars, Mr. Horowitz approached potential investors with the claim that he had developed a proprietary trading software that would generate high returns and profits through trading in futures and equities.

According to the notice, Mr. Horowitz met a 54-year-old victim from Newton, Mass., who gave Mr. Horowitz $15,000. The victim was charged $10,000 in upfront fees and was issued a memorandum of understanding that Massive Abundance would keep half of the trading profits as a trading fee. The notice said Mr. Horowitz told the victim, “looking forward to making us both mega-bucks.”

The $5,000 trading capital was never invested. The notice said Mr. Horowitz claimed he did not trade because his software system “could not properly manage the market volatility of 2015.”

“This case highlights the need for investors to check on persons offering investment advice, no matter how rosy the picture of anticipated returns,” said Mr. Galvin in the notice.

Mr. Horowitz has a record of attempted grand larceny in New York from 1985, when he was an officer of Omnibus Brokerage Inc., the notice said. He was ordered to pay restitution and was given three years probation. In 1988, Mr. Horowitz registered with Allegiance Securities, Inc., as a corporate securities representative – a role he held for seven months. He developed the trading software in 1999, and set up Massive Abundance in 2006, according to the notice.

Mr. Horowitz could not be reached for comment.