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Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a hedge fund adviser and his investment advisory firm with illegally profiting from a scheme to drive down the price of San Diego-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals, reaping more than $1.3 million of gains for the adviser and the hedge fund.

According to a press release from the federal government agency, the complaint charges that Gregory Lemelson and Massachusetts-based Lemelson Capital Management LLC issued false information about Ligand after Lemelson took a short position in Ligand in May 2014 on behalf of The Amvona Fund, a hedge fund he advised and partly owned. Short-sellers profit when the price of stock declines.

The SEC's complaint said that Ligand's stock lost more than one-third of its value during the course of Lemelson's alleged scheme. After establishing his short position, the complaint charges that Lemelson made a series of false statements to shake investor confidence in Ligand, lower its stock price, and increase the value of his position.

The SEC's complaint charges Lemelson and Lemelson Capital Management with fraud and seeks to have them return allegedly ill-gotten gains with interest and pay monetary penalties. The complaint names the Amvona Fund as a relief defendant and seeks to have it return gains it obtained as a result of Lemelson and his firm's alleged misconduct.

Lemelson responds to SEC charges

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson......................

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