I would like to say more, but need to leave room for the judicial process to do its job - Fr. E.

Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson Responds to SEC Charges

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., September 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson, the Chief Investment Officer of Lemelson Capital Management, today responded to a civil complaint filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States District Court of Massachusetts, Boston Division. In its complaint, the Commission alleges that Fr. Emmanuel engaged in violations of the federal securities laws in connection with transactions in the securities of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: LGND), a U.S.-based publicly-traded pharmaceutical company.

This matter, the likes of which the Commission has never previously brought, has no merit and amounts to a gross abuse of prosecutorial discretion. Fr. Emmanuel intends to vigorously contest the allegations and to demonstrate that the Commission’s claims are contaminated by the misconduct of the staff of its Enforcement Division.

“The Commission chose to bring this case based upon its Enforcement staff’s personal feelings and facts be damned, win-at-any-cost ambitions which have allowed it to ‘make up the rules’ as they go along. The government's claims are false and will be proven to be so” Lemelson said.

“The action is an effort to destroy the reputation of a whistleblower, who provided factually accurate and critical information concerning an alleged massive multi-year accounting fraud at Ligand Pharmaceuticals,” Lemelson added.

On July 27, 2018 Ligand was sued for $3.8 billion by investors in eight bond funds, including Citadel,¹ this followed multiple class-action lawsuits, alleging securities fraud, filed against Ligand beginning in 2016.²

“We are looking forward to defending this matter, exploring the possibility of bringing a complaint against the SEC and to setting a precedent that will prevent this sort of meritless action from being brought in the future,” Lemelson continued.

Separately, Fr. Emmanuel recently released a letter he has provided members of The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and the SEC Office of the Inspector General, further outlining extensive alleged abuses of accounting, pharmaceutical reimbursement and classification guidelines and regulations by Ligand Pharmaceuticals. In the letter, Lemelson urged the Committees in both the House and the Senate to commence an investigation into these alleged abuses, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) failure to stop them.

Lemelson's full July 13, 2018 letter to Congress is available online here

His December 2016 letter to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, regarding the company, is available online here

About Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson:

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson is the Chief investment officer of Lemelson Capital Management, LLC a Massachusetts based investment management firm

For more information, see:  https://www.lemelsoncapital.com/

For further information, please contact:

Lemelson Capital Management, LLC 
Investor and Media Relations 
Telephone: 508-630-2281

Source: Lemelson Capital Management, LLC

¹ Read more online here

² The lawsuits made substantially the same claims as The Lemelson Capital Management, LLC 2014 reports.

Just fourteen days after Rev. Fr. Emmanuel published an open letter to Congress alleging a multi-year accounting and securities fraud at Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LGND) the company has been sued for $3.8 billion by investors (eight bond funds, including Citadel), who accused the biotech company of unfairly changing the terms of a bond agreement.

According to the complaint, Ligand unfairly modified the agreement and never filed the required amendment with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to deny investors more than $3.8 billion in payouts.  If the investors prevail the company could be forced into bankruptcy. 

On August 14, 2014 Lemelson Capital Mangement, LLC published a report outlining the risk of the bond offering, questioned the representations made by the company, and pointed out that the offering may eventually lead to solvency risks.  The complaint further affirmed Lemelson Capital's 2014 reports, stating,“As of 2014, Ligand remained a venture struggling to create a sustainably profitable business model”.

Lemelson's full July 17, 2018 letter to Congress is available online here and a December 2016 letter to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, regarding the company, is available online here.

The case is AG Oncon LLC v. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., Del. Ch., No. 2018-0556, complaint 7/27/18.

Investors Sue Ligand Pharma... by on Scribd

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson ... by on Scribd

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson Calls on Congress, Office of Inspector General to Investigate SEC Failures

Failure to prosecute Alleged Multi-Year Accounting and Securities Fraud at Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LGND) Diminishes SEC Credibility, Warrants Investigation

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., July 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson, the CIO of Lemelson Capital Management, LLC, a U.S.-based global Investment management firm, today released a letter he has provided members of The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs, The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and the SEC Office of the Inspector General, outlining extensive alleged accounting and securities fraud, and abuse of federal and state healthcare laws by Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LGND), a U.S.-based publicly-traded pharmaceutical company. In the letter, Lemelson urged the Committees in both the House and the Senate to commence an investigation into these alleged abuses, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commissions (SEC) failure to stop them despite being provided abundant evidence of the alleged fraud spanning multiple years – failures he likens to the Commission’s botched Enron and Madoff investigations that allowed these frauds to cost investors and the American taxpayers dearly.

“We believe the greatest risk investors in Ligand face is the company may be excluded from government healthcare programs, found in violation of government regulations and face civil and criminal penalties that could result in imprisonment,” Lemelson said.

“It is inexplicable why the SEC has failed to act, given all of the disturbing developments that have been charted. Protecting the American investor and taxpayer, not to mention the sick who need reliable, affordable access to lifesaving medications must be a priority over fostering cozy relationships with Wall Street,” Lemelson continued.

The full letter, is available online here

Fr. Emmanuel’s December 2016 letter to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, is available online here
 

About Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson is the founder and president of The Lantern Foundation, established in December of 2012 as a U.S.-based 501c(3) private foundation, and chief investment officer of Lemelson Capital Management, LLC a Massachusetts based investment management firm

For more information, see: http://www.phanarion.org and https://www.lemelsoncapital.com/  

For further information, please contact:

Lemelson Capital Management, LLC 
Investor and Media Relations 
Telephone: 508-630-2281

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson ... by on Scribd

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Bed Bath and Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY) surged as much as ~4 percent today, July 05, 2018.  On May 11, 2018 Fr. Emmanuel spoke live to the crew of Benzinga TV about Lemelson Capital Management's investment in the company:

"...I'm buying Bed Bath and Beyond for our Fund and I'm buying it as aggressively as I can..."

In the seven weeks since the interview, the stock has risen roughly 24 percent vs. 2.73 percent for the S&P 1000 index:

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) continued to soar on Monday June 4, 2018, climbing 4.39 percent on the day and 85 percent over the last eight months.  On August 25, 2017 Fr. Emmanuel spoke live to the crew of Benzinga TV about Lemelson Capital Management's previous investment in the company:

...We picked up shares in American Eagle Outfitters... and frankly the one we're most excited about is Hibbett Sports... we just have been loading up and we'll keep buying in the interest of full disclosure... they're [AEO] going to evolve, their going to be a leader in the jeans business... Guess and Express are not as strong..."

In the roughly eight months that followed, the stocks mentioned in the interview performed as follows:

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Dicks Sporting Goods (NASDAQ: DKS) surged as much as ~28 percent today, May 30, 2018.  On November 10, 2017 Fr. Emmanuel spoke live to the crew of Benzinga TV about Lemelson Capital Management's previous investment in the company:

"...we've been buying Dicks as well even though we don't usually buy two securities in the same industry sector..."

In the seven months that followed, the stock rose 44.02 percent vs. 9.46 percent for the S&P 1000 index:

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Listen to Fr. Emmanuel live on May 11, 2018 speaking to the crew of Benzinga TV about his inevstments in Geospace Technologies, Bed Bath & Beyond and more.

Interview covers his views on the market, macro-economic issues, retail and oil and gas sectors including the following securities:

• Geospace Technologies (NASDAQ: GEOS)
• ION Geophysical (NASDAQ: IO)
• Dawson Geophysical (NASDAQ: DWSN)
• Transocean (NYSE: RIG)
• Schlumberger Limited (NYSE: SLB)
• Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL)
• Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY)
• Hibbett Sports (NASDAQ: HIBB)
• Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ)

Watch the full interview below or click here.

February 14, 2018

Gary Owens, Chairman of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors
Geospace Technologies Corporation
7007 Pinemont Drive
Houston, Texas 77040

RE: Annual Meeting Circus

Dear Gary,

I trust that you are aware that entities under our control collectively own approximately 10% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Geospace Technologies, Inc. This makes us one of the company’s largest shareholders.^[1]

As one of the largest shareholders, we cannot but be deeply troubled by the actions of this board of directors in responding to the activities of current executives and directors of the company, who have knowingly violated securities laws as outlined in our letter to you of February 9, 2018.^[2] As you know our vote against the proposed executive compensation plan was confirmed by both you and the transfer agent at the annual meeting held on February 7, 2018. Nevertheless, company executives have acted as if this vote was never cast, and, even worse, to cover up this deception in the form 8-K which was filed on February 12, 2018. Mr. McIntire’s attempt to justify the chicanery of later disregarding the votes in the most recent form 8-K, to put it nicely, is fanciful. This action is particularly offensive considering Mr. Wheeler’s recent comments on the Q1 2018 conference call--that the executive management team and directors of the company “...have a very good dialogue [with Lemelson Capital]…” and that “[Lemelson Capital] is a very valued shareholder.”^[3]

Lemelson Capital Management calls for Removal of Geospace Technologies (NASDAQ: GEOS) Senior Executives, Sale of Company

Firm seeks public and transparent filings

Marlborough, MA, February 9, 2017—Lemelson Capital Management, LLC, a private investment management firm, announced today it is calling on the board of directors of Geospace Technologies (NASDAQ: GEOS) to remove CEO Rick Wheeler and CFO Thomas McEntire. In addition, it is urging the board to explore an immediate sale of the company. Geospace is a global leader in the design and manufacture of instruments and equipment used by the oil and gas industry.

The full letter can be found here

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Just one week before the Dow and othe rmajor US indexes plummet on February 2, 2018, listen to Fr. Emmanuel speaking to the crew of Benzinga TV on the risks of a stock market crash.  

 …I don’t think people are thinking about the price-value dislocations at all, they just think, no price is too high because tomorrow it will be higher and that’s a scary environment..."

- Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson, speaking to Benzinga TV on January 26, 2018

More from the interview:

“When everyone is jumping in, it’s just classic late stage, the history of US financial markets are cyclical, and you’d have to believe we’re not going to have a down-cycle at any time to buy-in at these prices… frankly the short side looks much better to me. You can almost see it in the sentiment of the average retail investor, when they really believe its easy, right? It’s easy to make money, you put your money in and you get a return and people stop caring about prices… 

When price is completely divorced from value in the mind of the average investor, and then you start to see things that are symptomatic of a bubble, like frantic speculation in things like bitcoin and crypto-currencies, these are all indications that we’ve entered a phase that’s not at all rational and it could end at any time, it could be any sort of event, there’s just no margin of safety in most issues out there right now, most things are fully priced, many things are off-the-charts priced, and I don’t think people are thinking about the price-value dislocations at all, they just think, no price is too high because tomorrow it will be higher and that’s a scary environment”

Watch the full interview below or click here.

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Listen to Fr. Emmanuel live on January 26, 2018 speaking to the crew of Benzinga TV from the construction site of St. Katherine Orthodox Chapel in Stowe, VT.

 …I just wanted to share with you a conversation, that I had  last week with one of our devoted listeners...and I asked her who is your favorite guest? and your name came up first..."

- Joel Elconin, host Benzinga TV

Interview includes Fr. Emmanuel's views on the market, macro-economic issues, and specifically the following securities:

• Hibbett Sports (NASDAQ: HIBB)
• Dicks Sporting Goods (NASDAQ: DICK)
• The Oil and Gas Sector
• Geospace Technologies (NASDAQ: GEOS)
• CGG (NASDAQ: CGG)
• ION Geophysical (NASDAQ: IO)
• Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
• Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX)
• Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ)

Watch the full interview below or click here.

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Lemelson Capital Management Featured in the January 23, 2018 addition of Activist Insight

"CEO Patrick Doyle is 'exiting before the chickens come home to roost'... "Doyle has turned Domino's into a financial house of cards, fleeced shareholders by dramatically increasing the shareholder deficit and borrowed recklessly to 'juice' the stock price which in turn enriches him,' "

Activist Insight provides the most comprehensive information on activist investing worldwide, providing unmatched intelligence to professionals in the global activist investment space and is the only monthly magazine dedicated to shareholder activism, granting its readership access to the thoughts and opinions of key industry professionals.

Lemelson: Domino's has the worst corporate governance by amvona on Scribd

Lemelson Capital Management announces 10 percent stake in Geospace Technologies (NASDAQ: GEOS), urges immediate share repurchase

Firm reiterates near-term intrinsic value at $38 per share

Marlborough, MA, December 1, 2017—Lemelson Capital Management, LLC, a private investment management firm, announced today it has acquired, for its flagship Amvona Fund, LP, a stake of approximately 10 percent in shares of Geospace Technologies (NASDAQ: GEOS), a global leader in the design and manufacture of instruments and equipment used by the oil and gas industry. In addition, it is urging the company to initiate an immediate share repurchase plan.

*Please read the full notice and disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Listen to Fr. Emmanuel live on November 10, 2017 discussing an update on The Amvona Fund, LP's recent investments in the retail sector.

“…honestly, I thought it [Hibbet Sports] was one of the best value investments we had come across in the last seven years… we loaded-up substantially… we bought a huge block of shares between $9.40 per share and $9.50 per share, I couldn’t believe it, the price”

“some of the things people are saying about them [Hibbett] are not really rational, like saying, ‘it’s too little too late for their ecommerce’… why would you bet that they’re not going to benefit from having an ecommerce business? I think they’re going to do their omni-channel business extremely well… it’s an incredibly well-run business, I think it’s going to be a home-run for us… we already have a very significant rate of return…”

Interview includes an update on the fund's stakes in:

• American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO)
• Guess (NYSE: GES)
• Express  (NYSE: EXPR) 
• Hibbett Sports (NASDAQ: HIBB)
• Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ)

Commentary also includes an in-depth discussion of the market, macro-economic issues, and an update on the performance of the above commitments since the last interview on August 25, 2017.

Listen to the full interview here.