Clean Up Crew

Melissa Davis, senior editor of The Street Sweeper and a member of The Street Sweeper/American Fraud Busters expert advisory board, is an award-winning journalist who has displayed a keen eye for fraud during her long and decorated professional career. Davis spent the past seven years as one of the top investigative reporters at TheStreet.com, a premiere financial news site led by celebrity stock picker Jim Cramer. While there, she regularly uncovered “red flags” at publicly traded companies long before the stocks took a hit. She won the respect of both seasoned investors and fellow reporters along the way. The Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) ultimately recognized her accomplishments with a prestigious “Best in Business” award for online enterprise reporting last year. In the past, both the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press have given her top honors for her business coverage as well.

 

Hunter Adams, a member of the expert advisory board for The Street Sweeper/American Fraud Busters, understands stock manipulation firsthand.  Adams entered the securities industry 15 years ago with a focus on high-risk penny stocks.  He quickly became an expert at establishing shell corporations, executing reverse mergers and selling both equity and convertible debt in speculative small-cap companies.  His career ended in 2001, when government investigators accused him of manipulating worthless penny stocks.  He pled guilty to two conspiracy charges -- for securities fraud and money laundering -- and served time in prison for his crimes.  Years later, he pled guilty to racketeering charges, fully cooperated with the government and accepted full responsibility for his actions.  Today, he has embraced a life of reform and now hopes to help protect the public by exposing others who tread in the same murky waters he once swam in. To contact him directly, please send an email to hunter@thestreetsweeper.org.

 

Warren M. Flagg, a member of the expert advisory board for The Street Sweeper/American Fraud Busters, is a retired FBI special agent who worked in New York City’s criminal division during his 27-year law-enforcement career. He investigated white-collar crimes – including bankruptcy, fraud and copyright infringement – as well as counterfeiting, racketeering and public corruption in some of the most high-profile cases of the past two decades. His notable targets have included boxing promoter Don King (insurance fraud), professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and the WWF (steroid violations) and the Sam Goody retail chain (copyright infringement). Better known as “The Flaggman,” Flagg has spent the past 10 years working as a New York-licensed private investigator and currently runs his own private investigation/security firm, known as Flaggman, Inc. As an expert in his field, Flagg is a sought-after media commentator who regularly shares his views on criminal and terrorist activity with major newspapers and television networks. He also serves as a technical consultant for television and film, most recently providing expert guidance for the Showtime original series “Sleeper Cell” and the Woody Harrelson film “After the Sunset.”

 

Robert J. Hantman, (www.hantmanlaw.com), media counsel for The Street Sweeper and American Fraud Busters, has made a name for himself representing major clients involved in the entertainment industry. His New York-based law firm, Hantman & Associates, has successfully handled lawsuits or resolved cases involving (among others): the New York Yankees, Steven Seagal, Danny DeVito, Al Pacino, Anna Nicole Smith, Pro Elite, Fabio, Montel Williams, the New York City Business Integrity Commission, and The Los Angeles Times. His firm also won the largest private defamation verdict ever recorded in New Jersey history.