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Monday, September 30, 2013

IIUSA (The regional center trade association) just issued a press release trying to paint themselves in a good light in a pathetic attempt to mislead EB-5 visa seekers and lawmakers.

The folks at IIUSA are getting to be so desperate that they will clutch at straws to save their moribund businesses. See article at http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1492809?utm_content=buffer3a34e&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=linkedin&utm_campaign=Buffer&goback=.gde_2187616_member_277428194#!

What the regional centers don't and won't disclose is information that actually enlightens the EB-5 visa investor community about how regional centers are the absolute worst option for EB-5 visa seekers. IIUSA executives need to answer the following questions, so that EB-5 visa seekers can themselves judge whether regional centers are even worthy of being considered by EB-5 visa investors:

1) What is the mean and median amount of capital loss experienced by EB-5 visa seekers who invest in regional centers?
2) What is the mean and median processing time for regional center sponsored I-526 and I-829 petitions?
3) What is the mean and median lock in period for capital in regional centers?
4) What is the mean and median annual ROI that is offered by regional centers?
5) Are there ANY regional centers around where the promoters do NOT engage in conflict of interest?
6) Are there ANY regional centers around where promoters are willing to offer written guarantees of FULL disclosure of material facts on an ongoing basis as well as freedom from fraud?
7) Are there ANY regional centers around that offer and sell securities overseas in full compliance of US and overseas securities laws?
8) What are the percentage of regional center filed I-526 petitions that were approved by USCIS in each of the past 3 years?
9) What are the percentage of regional center filed I-829 petitions that were approved by USCIS in each of the past 3 years?

The above are questions that illustrate in objective and easy to understand numbers just why it is unsafe for EB-5 visa investors to use regional centers to apply for their green card.

It is quite common for honest and diligent RE brokers to offer a guarantee of freedom from conflict of interest and fraud, while crooks who try to lure EB-5 visa investors into investing in worthless regional center securities / partnerships / third rate franchises will always refuse to offer the following safeguards to EB-5 visa investors:

1) A written guarantee by the top 5 officers of the regional center / partnership firm AND the marketer, confirming that they will clearly disclose all material information at the very onset and on an ongoing basis. In the US, failure to disclose material information by sellers of securities is classified as SECURITIES FRAUD.

2) A written guarantee that the marketer and regional center / partnership officers will NOT engage in conflict of interest, and will procure goods / services and hire employees in a transparent and competitive manner.

3) A written guarantee that they will fully refund an investor's fees in case the investor's petition is rejected due to the fault of the regional center.

4) A full disclosure of what is the amount of capital that the firm's founders and investors have invested and what is the percentage of ownership stake and profits that they will get.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that Direct Investment Businesses that choose blue chip franchises (such as BK, 5 Guys, KFC, etc.) wholly owned and controlled by the EB-5 visa investor usually offer a safer, faster and very profitable way to get the EB-5 visa, and those who opt for regional centers or partnerships or third rate franchises will usually end up with delayed processing, capital lossess and low (or no) ROI caused due to extensive fraud, nepotism & conflict of interest, terrible exit strategies and high rate of denial of I-829.

Our EB-5 investor clients who opted to start Direct Investment Businesses in quality franchises such as 5 guys, KFC, McDonalds, etc. as opposed to regional centers / partnerships / bottom tier franchises such as Voodoo or Marcos offered by our unscrupulous competitors, usually find that they have the following advantages:

1) Great annual profits, averaging 22% annually, and usually ranging from 20% to 30% annually. The lowest amount any of our clients has ever earned is 15% annual profit, and that was a special case.
2) Capital gains: Our recommended businesses usually appreciate while Marcos pizza locations or other third rate franchises will usually sell for a massive capital loss. In 10 years, none of my clients have had a capital loss, and most investors in regional centers have suffered full or partial capital loss.
3) Easy exit strategy: You will find more buyers for 5 guys / KFC restaurants in comparison to Voodoo BBQ offered by Joe Sloboda or Marcos Pizza or any regional center.
4) Easy approval with USCIS and with banks: Bank underwriters are very picky, and they won't approve Voodoo BBQ locations easily, but will easily approve premium franchises such as 5 Guys / KFC / etc. because of their track record and market reputation. USCIS will also easily approve known and reputed brands with solid track records, while they won't do so with our competitors.
5) Full disclosure of material facts: Unlike David Tashroudian or the Voodoo promoters Joe Sloboda & Fred Burgess or Regional Center promoters, we clearly and fully disclose material facts to our clients, which is why we confidently offer written guarantees of full and clear disclosure of material facts.
6) Fee refund guarantee: We know that we do a thorough job, and therefore confidently guarantee our work, while our competitors refuse to stand behind their work. This shows EB-5 visa investors who is a professional and who is not.

If you're interested in getting your EB-5 visa in a quick, safe and usually profitable manner, please call us. 

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online: http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com

I read an article that I suspect was written by someone who was paid to promote fraudulent regional center & partnership securities. Have I just discovered a new crook out to deceive EB-5 visa seekers?

I'd love to ask Ms. Barella a few fundamental questions about the article she published at http://www.adviseusa.com/1/post/2013/09/investment-advisors-and-what-they-can-do-for-you.html:

Has she ever done real due diligence on any securities offering, leave alone regional centers?

Ms. Barella says, "Many EB-5 professionals engage in the business of providing investment advice regarding EB-5 projects; however, only a Registered Investment Advisor is qualified (and granted authority by the SEC) to provide such advice. " I say, nonsense. I've been exposing the fraud committed by regional centers & partnerships for years now, and helped EB-5 visa seekers avoid getting defrauded by regional centers & partnerships. There are strong reasons why SEC won't act against those who help EB-5 visa seekers avoid getting cheated by regional centers & partnerships.

Ms. Barella claims, "Attorneys, real estate agents, and EB-5 consultants often provide investors with advice on which regional center project to select for their EB-5 investment.  Whatever name they go by it leads to the same conclusion – these professionals are providing unauthorized and unregulated investment advice." What Ms. Barella is unaware of is, at least this broker (yours truly)  does things legally as I don't charge any advice whatsoever about the suitability of regional centers. Frankly speaking, none of the regional centers I know of is worthy of being invested in as they are all engaged in fraud, conflict of interest and violations of securities laws (including securities fraud).

Ms. Barella claims "Real Estate brokers do not possess the proper credentials or registration to advise on EB-5 projects.  EB-5 consultants are essentially holding themselves out as Investment Advisors all the while masking their doings with the title of, “consultant.” Besides being a licensed RE Broker, I've also been a Certified Fraud Examiner for a long time and actually help EB-5 visa seekers by providing information that helps them identify and avoid fraud. I know that I can and actually have identified how regional centers and partnerships engage in fraud, securities fraud, violations of securities law, money laundering, etc.

Finally, this statement took the cake: " Foreign nationals wishing to gain lawful permanent residency in the United States should be weary of any professional assisting them in the selection of a particular EB-5 project.  Besides not being qualified or authorized to provide advice, these professionals are in violation of federal law.  Just as an Investment Advisor would not file an immigration petition or assist a client in the sale or procurement of a property, an attorney and real estate broker should not give investment advice unless they are properly registered. " It apparently implies that real estate brokers (especially those qualified as business brokers) can't advise their clients on selecting a business either, and to this I say, nonsense. Business Brokers who're licensed as RE Brokers are actually able to advise their clients on any acquisition, merger or sale of small businesses, and this is an exemption that is codified into state statutes too.

I can honestly state that Direct Investments in Businesses are the safest, fastest and usually the most profitable way of getting EB-5 visas, and in 10 years I've yet to see an RIA objectively and uniformly expose fraud. Some RIA's such as MG apparently avoid speaking out against the fraud committed by entities that pay them directly or indirectly.

It is quite common for honest and diligent RE brokers to offer a guarantee of freedom from conflict of interest and fraud, while crooks who try to lure EB-5 visa investors into investing in worthless regional center securities / partnerships / third rate franchises will always refuse to offer the following safeguards to EB-5 visa investors:

1) A written guarantee by the top 5 officers of the regional center / partnership firm AND the marketer, confirming that they will clearly disclose all material information at the very onset and on an ongoing basis. In the US, failure to disclose material information by sellers of securities is classified as SECURITIES FRAUD.

2) A written guarantee that the marketer and regional center / partnership officers will NOT engage in conflict of interest, and will procure goods / services and hire employees in a transparent and competitive manner.

3) A written guarantee that they will fully refund an investor's fees in case the investor's petition is rejected due to the fault of the regional center.

4) A full disclosure of what is the amount of capital that the firm's founders and investors have invested and what is the percentage of ownership stake and profits that they will get.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that Direct Investment Businesses that choose blue chip franchises (such as BK, 5 Guys, KFC, etc.) wholly owned and controlled by the EB-5 visa investor usually offer a safer, faster and very profitable way to get the EB-5 visa, and those who opt for regional centers or partnerships or third rate franchises will usually end up with delayed processing, capital lossess and low (or no) ROI caused due to extensive fraud, nepotism & conflict of interest, terrible exit strategies and high rate of denial of I-829.

Our EB-5 investor clients who opted to start Direct Investment Businesses in quality franchises such as 5 guys, KFC, McDonalds, etc. as opposed to regional centers / partnerships / bottom tier franchises such as Voodoo or Marcos offered by our unscrupulous competitors, usually find that they have the following advantages:

1) Great annual profits, averaging 22% annually, and usually ranging from 20% to 30% annually. The lowest amount any of our clients has ever earned is 15% annual profit, and that was a special case.
2) Capital gains: Our recommended businesses usually appreciate while Marcos pizza locations or other third rate franchises will usually sell for a massive capital loss. In 10 years, none of my clients have had a capital loss, and most investors in regional centers have suffered full or partial capital loss.
3) Easy exit strategy: You will find more buyers for 5 guys / KFC restaurants in comparison to Voodoo BBQ offered by Joe Sloboda or Marcos Pizza or any regional center.
4) Easy approval with USCIS and with banks: Bank underwriters are very picky, and they won't approve Voodoo BBQ locations easily, but will easily approve premium franchises such as 5 Guys / KFC / etc. because of their track record and market reputation. USCIS will also easily approve known and reputed brands with solid track records, while they won't do so with our competitors.
5) Full disclosure of material facts: Unlike David Tashroudian or the Voodoo promoters Joe Sloboda & Fred Burgess or Regional Center promoters, we clearly and fully disclose material facts to our clients, which is why we confidently offer written guarantees of full and clear disclosure of material facts.
6) Fee refund guarantee: We know that we do a thorough job, and therefore confidently guarantee our work, while our competitors refuse to stand behind their work. This shows EB-5 visa investors who is a professional and who is not.

If you're interested in getting your EB-5 visa in a quick, safe and usually profitable manner, please call us. 

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online: http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Our competitors ask EB-5 visa investors to choose between safety, profit and green card. Since 2004, we've delivered all 3 to each of our EB-5 visa clients.

Our only competitors used to be unscrupulous regional center promoters and marketers, and they're now joined by those who market questionable partnerships and third rate franchises to EB-5 under the direct investment category.

I saw one of our competitors (who sells regional center securities), conducting a survey, asking EB-5 visa seekers whether they preferred green card, safe investment or profit. This is unethical and IMHO, EB-5 visa investors should never be made to make choices like these. We offer all 3 of the above in addition to faster processing, zero conflict of interest, zero fraud and easy exit strategy to all of our EB-5 visa clients.

In order to avoid being defrauded by marketers of regional centers, partnerships or substandard franchises, EB-5 visa seekers should keep the following information in mind:

With regional centers & partnerships, it takes longer to get approved, the ROI is low (or none), capital losses are quite common, the exit strategy is truly shitty and the I-829 approval rate is about 42%. In contrast, our EB-5 visa clients get approved faster, and in 10 years haven't suffered a single rejection at either the I-526 or I-829 stage or had capital losses or operating losses, and have always been able to exit easily.

Unlike Mr. Hall who sells Marcos Pizza franchises or Fred Burgess & Joe Sloboda who tried to steer EB-5 visa investors into Voodoo, even though Voodoo doesn't have such a great record or reputation, we always try to place our clients in reputable franchises such as 5 Guys / KFC / Subways etc. or in solid non-franchise businesses such as used car lots, cell phone stores, etc. where it is easy to generate jobs and quite easy to earn decent profits.

With us, our client's money is invested in their own business instead of being used to procure goods and services at inflated prices (as is common with our competitors) or hire undeserving related parties at inflated salaries.

EB-5 visa investors need to ask several important questions of regional center promoters (CEO / CFO / Vice President / EVP / SVP etc.) and marketers. It is quite common for crooks to refuse to offer the following safeguards to EB-5 visa investors:

1) A written guarantee by the top 5 officers of the regional center / partnership firm AND the marketer, confirming that they will clearly disclose all material information at the very onset and on an ongoing basis. In the US, failure to disclose material information by sellers of securities is classified as SECURITIES FRAUD.

2) A written guarantee that the marketer and regional center / partnership officers will NOT engage in conflict of interest, and will procure goods / services and hire employees in a transparent and competitive manner.

3) A written guarantee that they will fully refund an investor's fees in case the investor's petition is rejected due to the fault of the regional center.

4) A full disclosure of what is the amount of capital that the firm's founders and investors have invested and what is the percentage of ownership stake they will get.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that Direct Investment Businesses that choose blue chip franchises (such as BK, 5 Guys, KFC, etc.) wholly owned and controlled by the EB-5 visa investor usually offer a safer, faster and very profitable way to get the EB-5 visa, and those who opt for regional centers or partnerships or third rate franchises will usually end up with delayed processing, capital lossess and low (or no) ROI caused due to extensive fraud, nepotism & conflict of interest, terrible exit strategies and high rate of denial of I-829.

Our EB-5 investor clients who opted to start Direct Investment Businesses in quality franchises such as 5 guys, KFC, McDonalds, etc. as opposed to the bottom tier franchises such as Voodoo or Marcos offered by our unscrupulous competitors, will find that they have the following advantages:

1) Great annual profits, averaging 22% annually, and usually ranging from 20% to 30% annually.
2) Capital gains: Our recommended businesses usually appreciate while Marcos pizza locations are usually sold for a massive capital loss. In 10 years, none of my clients have had a capital loss, and most investors in regional centers have suffered full or partial capital loss.
3) Easy exit strategy: You will find more buyers for 5 guys / KFC restaurants in comparison to Voodoo BBQ offered by Joe Sloboda or Marcos Pizza.
4) Easy approval with USCIS and with banks: Bank underwriters are very picky, and they won't approve Voodoo BBQ locations easily, but will easily approve premium franchises such as 5 GUys / KFC / etc. because of their track record and market reputation. USCIS will also easily approve known and reputed brands with solid track records, while they won't do so with our competitors.
5) Full disclosure of material facts: Unlike David Tashroudian or the Voodoo promoters Joe Sloboda & Fred Burgess or Regional Center promoters, we clearly and fully disclose material facts to our clients, which is why we confidently offer written guarantees of full and clear disclosure of material facts.
6) Fee refund guarantee: We know that we do a thorough job, and therefore confidently guarantee our work, while our competitors refuse to stand behind their work. This shows EB-5 visa investors who is a professional and who is not.

If you're interested in getting your EB-5 visa in a quick, safe and usually profitable manner, please call us.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA &FL) 
Online: http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Honesty is the best policy: Those who selectively disseminate information in an attempt to unduly influence an EB-5 visa investor shouldn't be trusted by EB-5 visa investors.

I saw two articles in the last few days about EB-5 visa by Ian Scott (Is Ian Scott concealing material information from EB-5 visa investors?) & Ismael Fernandez (see Is Ismael Fernandez being entirely candid?).The articles both have something in common, namely the fact that they omitted crucial information that would make any EB-5 visa seeker avoid regional centers & partnerships like the plague. Fact is, when making a decision, EB-5 visa seekers need to be given a full disclosure of material facts, and under US law, those who aid and abet regional centers in committing securities fraud by failure to disclose material information to potential investors can arguably be termed as guilty of securities fraud themselves under the chain conspiracy model. See article at What makes one complicit in a conspiracy? There is no doubt that Mr. Scott and Mr. Hernandez have in the past sought to do business with regional centers and are seeking to do so even today, so those who suffer capital losses or are denied may have grounds to sue these two individuals in the same way they can sue Brian Su or Fred Burgess or Joe Sloboda or Kevin Jeffers or others who aid and abet regional centers in violating securities laws and committing securities fraud.

What is the material information that was omitted by Mr. Scott & Mr. Fernandez:

It is common knowledge that thousands of EB-5 visa investors have lost their green cards due to the fraudulent and / or grossly negligent conduct of regional center promoters. It is also common knowledge that EB-5 visa petitions sponsored by regional centers take about twice as long to get approved compared to Direct Investment Business based businesses. It is also common knowledge that regional centers are under investigation by multiple government agencies for fraud, and that capital loss is quite common in regional centers / partnerships / direct investments in 3rd rate franchises. It is also common knowledge that regional centers & partnerships illegally offer & sell their securities overseas, yet neither Mr. Fernandez or Mr. Scott mentioned these facts either. It is also common knowledge that regional centers have laundered BILLIONS of Dollars, and neither Mr. Scott nor Mr. Fernandez have mentioned this either.

Mr. Fernandez wrongly implies that direct investments are complicated and omits the crucial fact that a business plan isn't needed if 10 jobs are created before filing I-526. He also wrongly implies that Direct Investment Business are riskier compared to regional centers ("Higher rates of return are expected for the larger perceived risk.") This definitely leads me to believe that either he is lying or simply ignorant, and I believe it is the former and not the latter.

Similarly, Mr. Scott also neglects to point out the crucial fact that most active (owners / operators of Direct Investment Business) EB-5 visa investors are actually going Direct as it is safer, easier and faster to get their EB-5 visa when investors go direct, and in cases where the 10 jobs are created BEFORE filing the EB-5 visa, the investor doesn't even need to submit a business plan.

In order to avoid being defrauded by marketers of regional centers or partnerships or even those who peddle 3rd rate franchises, EB-5 visa seekers should keep the following information in mind:

With regional centers & partnerships, it takes longer to get approved, the ROI is low (or none), capital losses are quite common, the exit strategy is truly shitty and the I-829 approval rate is about 42%. In contrast, our EB-5 visa clients get approved faster, and in 10 years haven't suffered a single rejection at either the I-526 or I-829 stage or had capital losses or operating losses, and have always been able to exit easily.

Unlike B. Hall who peddled 3rd rate Marcos Pizza franchises or Fred Burgess & Joe Sloboda who tried to steer EB-5 visa investors into Voodoo, even though Voodoo doesn't have such a great record or reputation, we always try to place our clients in reputable franchises such as 5 Guys / KFC / Subways etc. or in solid non-franchise businesses such as used car lots, cell phone stores, etc. where it is easy to generate jobs and quite common to earn decent profits.

With us, our client's money is invested in their own business instead of being used to procure goods and services at inflated prices (as is common with our competitors) or hire undeserving related parties at inflated salaries.

EB-5 visa investors need to ask several important questions of regional center promoters (CEO / CFO / Vice President / EVP / SVP etc.) and marketers. It is quite common for crooks to refuse to offer the following safeguards to EB-5 visa investors:

1) A written guarantee by the top 5 officers of the regional center / partnership firm AND the marketer, confirming that they will clearly disclose all material information at the very onset and on an ongoing basis. In the US, failure to disclose material information by sellers of securities is classified as SECURITIES FRAUD.

2) A written guarantee that the marketer and regional center / partnership officers will NOT engage in conflict of interest, and procure goods / services in a transparent and competitive manner.

3) A written guarantee that they will fully refund an investor's fees in case the investor's petition is rejected due to the fault of the regional center.

4) A full disclosure of what is the amount of capital that the firm's founders and investors have invested and what is the percentage of ownership stake they will get.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that Direct Investment Businesses that opt for blue chip franchises (such as BK, 5 Guys, KFC, etc.) wholly owned and controlled by the EB-5 visa investor usually offer a safer, faster and very profitable way to get the EB-5 visa, and those who opt for regional centers or partnerships or third rate franchises will usually end up with delayed processing, capital lossess and low (or no) ROI caused due to extensive fraud, nepotism & conflict of interest, terrible exit strategies and high rate of denial of I-829.

Our EB-5 investor clients who opted to start Direct Investment Businesses in quality franchises such as 5 guys, KFC, McDonalds, etc. as opposed to the bottom tier franchises such as Voodoo or Marcos offered by our unscrupulous competitors, will find that they have the following advantages:

1) Great annual profits, averaging 22% annually, and usually ranging from 20% to 30% annually.
2) Capital gains: Our recommended businesses usually appreciate while Marcos pizza locations are usually sold for a massive capital loss. In 10 years, none of my clients have had a capital loss, and most investors in regional centers have suffered full or partial capital loss.
3) Easy exit strategy: You will find more buyers for 5 guys / KFC restaurants in comparison to Voodoo BBQ offered by Joe Sloboda or Marcos Pizza.
4) Easy approval with USCIS and with banks: Bank underwriters are very picky, and they won't approve Voodoo BBQ locations easily, but will easily approve premium franchises such as 5 GUys / KFC / etc. because of their track record and market reputation. USCIS will also easily approve known and reputed brands with solid track records, while they won't do so with our competitors.
5) Full disclosure of material facts: Unlike David Tashroudian or the Voodoo promoters Joe Sloboda & Fred Burgess or Regional Center promoters, we clearly and fully disclose material facts to our clients, which is why we confidently offer written guarantees of full and clear disclosure of material facts.
6) Fee refund guarantee: We know that we do a thorough job, and therefore confidently guarantee our work, while our competitors refuse to stand behind their work. This shows EB-5 visa investors who is a professional and who is not.

If you're interested in getting your EB-5 visa in a quick, safe and usually profitable manner, please call us.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA &FL) 
Online: Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed RE Broker (CA & FL)

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

I believe many securities broker dealers will land in trouble for failure to fully disclose material facts to EB-5 visa seekers while attempting to sell partnership / regional center securities, as this implicates securities law and other laws too.

Broker dealers who want to market securities in partnerships such as regional centers need to comply with disclosure requirements. They'd need to disclose material facts such as the delays in approval, conflict of interest, unauthorised (and illegal) offering & sale of securities overseas, etc. It is safer, faster and usually more profitable for EB-5 visa seekers to opt for Direct Investment Businesses.

See link FINRA clearly warns broker dealers to comply with the law.

Broker dealers will have to disclose that EB-5 visa seekers face long delays if they apply through regional centers and will also have to disclose that Regional Centers are notorious for widespread conflict of of interest and securities fraud along with violation of securities laws in the US and abroad., as these are facts known to most people anyway, and are certainly known in the USER groups that broker dealers frequent online.

EB-5 visa investors need to ask a few pertinent questions to any regional center promoter (CEO / CFO / Vice President / EVP / SVP etc.) or marketer (such as broker dealer or immigration agent) if they're willing to offer the following safeguards to EB-5 visa investors. Those who refuse to offer the following safeguards are probably crooks who should not be trusted or given the time of the day:

1) A written guarantee by the top 5 officers confirming that they will clearly disclose all material information at the very onset and on an ongoing basis. In the US, failure to disclose material information by sellers of securities is classified as SECURITIES FRAUD.

2) A written guarantee that they will NOT engage in conflict of interest.

3) A written guarantee that they will fully refund an investor's fees in case the investor's petition is rejected due to the fault of the regional center.

If Mr. Gunderson and Mr. Bradshaw refuse to offer this guarantee, we should ask what does the name of their regional center, 'US Freedom capital' imply? It certainly wouldn't imply freedom from fraud, incompetence and conflict of interest, so it may probably imply freedom (for Bradshaw, Gunderson, Yates, etc.) to plunder EB-5 investor funds to line their own pockets.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that Direct Investment Businesses that opt for blue chip franchises (such as BK, 5 Guys, KFC, etc.) wholly owned and controlled by the EB-5 visa investor usually offer a safer, faster and very profitable way to get the EB-5 visa, and those who opt for regional centers or partnerships or third rate franchises will usually end up with delayed processing, capital lossess and low (or no) ROI caused due to extensive fraud, nepotism & conflict of interest, terrible exit strategies and high rate of denial of I-829.

Our EB-5 investor clients who opted to start Direct Investment Businesses in quality franchises such as 5 guys, KFC, McDonalds, etc. as opposed to the bottom tier franchises such as Voodoo or Marcos offered by our unscrupulous competitors, will find that they have the following advantages:

1) Great ROI, averaging 22% annually, and usually ranging from 20% to 30% annually.

2) Capital gains: Our recommended businesses usually appreciate while Marcos pizza locations are usually sold for a massive capital loss. In 10 years, none of my clients have had a capital loss, and most investors in regional centers have suffered full or partial capital loss.

3) Easy exit strategy: You will find more buyers for 5 guys / KFC restaurants in comparison to Voodoo BBQ offered by Joe Sloboda or Marcos Pizza.

4) Easy approval with USCIS and with banks: Bank underwriters are very picky, and they won't approve Voodoo BBQ locations easily, but will easily approve premium franchises such as 5 GUys / KFC / etc. because of their track record and market reputation. USCIS will also easily approve known and reputed brands with solid track records, while they won't do so with our competitors.

5) Full disclosure of material facts: Unlike David Tashroudian or the Voodoo promoters Joe Sloboda & Fred Burgess or Regional Center promoters, we clearly and fully disclose material facts to our clients, which is why we confidently offer written guarantees of full and clear disclosure of material facts.

6) Fee refund guarantee: We know that we do a thorough job, and therefore confidently guarantee our work, while our competitors refuse to stand behind their work. This shows EB-5 visa investors who is a professional and who is not.

If you're interested in getting your EB-5 visa in a quick and safe manner, please call us.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA &FL)

Onlinehttp://www.smartbusinessbroker.com
Phone: 407 535 0616

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Some attorneys want EB-5 visa seekers to be at the mercy of USCIS on 'Reasonable Expectation' of Job Creation and Tenant Occupancy. Our clients have no such worries :)

I just read an article by an attorney about how regional centers are at the mercy of USCIS at I-829 stage due to the fact that they are frequently unable to prove job creation. See http://info.starteb5.com/bid/249706/reasonable-expectation-of-job-creation-for-eb5-regional-centers?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_content=1600522#! I personally don't think very highly of this individual and strongly suspect his integrity, but use him as an example to illustrate why our EB-5 visa clients do better.

EB-5 visa seekers should also keep in mind that now that with the absence of RIMS II model, it is even harder for regional centers to help EB-5 visa seekers get their permanent green card. Many EB-5 visa seekers know from personal experience that time once wasted can never come back. It is a well known fact that thousands of EB-5 visa seekers got denied at the I-829 stage due to failure of regional centers to create jobs or issues about Tenant occupancy that have plagued regional centers. Our clients have no such worries, simply because we put our clients first and chart a very conservative course of action for our clients.

Our clients don't have to worry simply because we make sure that we advise them to act in a proactive manner that pre-empts RFE's and precludes the possibility of denial. This is why we confidently offer a fee refund guarantee to our clients and our competitors don't. Our competitors won't clearly and fully disclose material issues such as the one mentioned above, they never offer written guarantees to fully and clearly disclose material facts while we do.

EB-5 visa seekers should ask themselves: Do they feel lucky? Or would they like to play it safe and opt for the most competent and professional team to get their EB-5 visa?

Our EB-5 investor clients who opted to start Direct Investment Businesses in quality franchises such as 5 guys, KFC, McDonalds, etc. as opposed to investing in regional centers or bottom tier franchises such as Voodoo or Marcos offered by our unscrupulous competitors, find that they have the following advantages:

1) Great ROI, averaging 22% annually, and usually ranging from 20% to 30% annually.
2) Capital gains: Our recommended businesses usually appreciate while Marcos pizza locations are usually sold for a massive capital loss. In 10 years, none of my clients have had a capital loss, and most investors in regional centers have suffered full or partial capital loss.
3) Easy exit strategy: You will find more buyers for 5 guys / KFC restaurants in comparison to Voodoo BBQ offered by Joe Sloboda or Marcos Pizza.
4) Easy approval with USCIS and with banks: Bank underwriters are very picky, and they won't approve Voodoo BBQ locations easily, but will easily approve premium franchises such as 5 GUys / KFC / etc. because of their track record and market reputation. USCIS will also easily approve known and reputed brands with solid track records, while they won't do so with our competitors.
5) Full disclosure of material facts and freedom from conflict of interest: Unlike David Tashroudian or the Voodoo promoters Joe Sloboda & Fred Burgess or Regional Center promoters, we clearly and fully disclose material facts to our clients, which is why we confidently offer written guarantees of full and clear disclosure of material facts and freedom from conflict of interest.
6) Fee refund guarantee: We know that we do a thorough job, and therefore confidently guarantee our work, while our competitors refuse to stand behind their work. This shows EB-5 visa investors who is a professional and who is not.

For those who want to get their EB-5 visa in a quick, safe and usually profitable manner, please contact us on +1 407 535 0616 and visit our website: Smart Business Broker - Simply the BEST EB-5 Visa advisors.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online: http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Dave Gunderson & Stan Bradshaw finally got their regional center approved. Question is, will they do business honestly or will they imitate other regional centers by committing securities fraud?

It is a well known fact that regional centers are like junkies, because they're addicted to OPM (Other People's Money) and will do anything for a fix. Regional Centers are notorious for widespread conflict of of interest and securities fraud along with violation of securities laws in the US and abroad.

EB-5 visa investors need to ask a few pertinent questions to any regional center promoter (CEO / CFO / Vice President / EVP / SVP etc.) or marketer if they're willing to offer the following safeguards to EB-5 visa investors. Those who refuse to offer the following safeguards are probably crooks who should not be trusted or given the time of the day:

1) A written guarantee by the top 5 officers confirming that they will clearly disclose all material information at the very onset and on an ongoing basis. In the US, failure to disclose material information by sellers of securities is classified as SECURITIES FRAUD.

2) A written guarantee that they will NOT engage in conflict of interest.

3) A written guarantee that they will fully refund an investor's fees in case the investor's petition is rejected due to the fault of the regional center.

If Mr. Gunderson and Mr. Bradshaw refuse to offer this guarantee, we should ask what does the name of their regional center, 'US Freedom capital' imply? It certainly wouldn't imply freedom from fraud, incompetence and conflict of interest, so it may probably imply freedom (for Bradshaw, Gunderson, Yates, etc.) to plunder EB-5 investor funds to line their own pockets.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that Direct Investment Businesses that opt for blue chip franchises (such as BK, 5 Guys, KFC, etc.) wholly owned and controlled by the EB-5 visa investor usually offer a safer, faster and very profitable way to get the EB-5 visa, and those who opt for regional centers or partnerships or third rate franchises will usually end up with delayed processing, capital lossess and low (or no) ROI caused due to extensive fraud, nepotism & conflict of interest, terrible exit strategies and high rate of denial of I-829.

Our EB-5 investor clients who opted to start Direct Investment Businesses in quality franchises such as 5 guys, KFC, McDonalds, etc. as opposed to the bottom tier franchises such as Voodoo or Marcos offered by our unscrupulous competitors, will find that they have the following advantages:

1) Great ROI, averaging 22% annually, and usually ranging from 20% to 30% annually.
2) Capital gains: Our recommended businesses usually appreciate while Marcos pizza locations are usually sold for a massive capital loss. In 10 years, none of my clients have had a capital loss, and most investors in regional centers have suffered full or partial capital loss.
3) Easy exit strategy: You will find more buyers for 5 guys / KFC restaurants in comparison to Voodoo BBQ offered by Joe Sloboda or Marcos Pizza.
4) Easy approval with USCIS and with banks: Bank underwriters are very picky, and they won't approve Voodoo BBQ locations easily, but will easily approve premium franchises such as 5 GUys / KFC / etc. because of their track record and market reputation. USCIS will also easily approve known and reputed brands with solid track records, while they won't do so with our competitors.
5) Full disclosure of material facts: Unlike David Tashroudian or the Voodoo promoters Joe Sloboda & Fred Burgess or Regional Center promoters, we clearly and fully disclose material facts to our clients, which is why we confidently offer written guarantees of full and clear disclosure of material facts.
6) Fee refund guarantee: We know that we do a thorough job, and therefore confidently guarantee our work, while our competitors refuse to stand behind their work. This shows EB-5 visa investors who is a professional and who is not.

If you're interested in getting your EB-5 visa in a quick and safe manner, please call us.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA &FL)

Step by Step model for EB-5 Direct Investment for how NOT to do EB-5 Direct Investment. Under the model envisaged by GT, the approval time would be about twice as long as the time it takes our clients

This is the link taken by our competitors such as partnership promoters and other unscrupulous regional center developers. http://www.eb5insights.com/2013/07/11/eb-5-step-by-step-direct-investment-model/

This is the link that shows how we work: http://smartbusinessbroker.com/3874.html

The difference is quite obvious, and is felt in several ways. With our competitors, it takes longer to get approved, the ROI is low (or none), capital losses are quite common, the exit strategy is truly terrible and the I-829 approval rate isn't so great. In contrast, our EB-5 visa clients get approved faster, and in 10 years haven't suffered a single rejection at either the I-526 or I-829 stage or had capital losses or operating losses, and have always been able to exit easily.

With us, our client's money is invested in their business instead of being used to procure goods and services at inflated prices (as is common with our competitors) or hire undeserving related parties at inflated salaries.

EB-5 visa seekers should objectively compare the approaches to understand who'd protect their interests and deliver results. We don't deliver spiels, we deliver results, and unlike our competitors, we confidently stand behind our processes and our philosophy.

Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online: http://www.smartbusinessbroker.om

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

I noticed a gentleman named Tahir Ansari, soliciting partners for starting future CiCi's Pizza restaurants. I think he neglected to mention some pertinent details....

Would you care to let potential investors know about your history and pending litigation sir?

Like 2 pending foreclosure and a lawsuit by Disney
http://www.disunplugged.com/2012/06/26/disney-sues-unauthorized-ticket-resellers-in-orlando/ ?

also

http://www2.orlandoweekly.com/news/story.asp?id=11353

Plus, WHY should they go into partnership with you and let you eat up half or more of the profit, when they can go directly with Cici's and pocket all the profits?

Just asking....

EB-5 visa seekers are NOT stupid to give their money to someone who won't invest even a penny of their own funds, and wants most of the profits.

The following is an objective comparison on the pros & cons of Direct Investment Businesses versus Partnerships & RC's.

1. Freedom from fraud and conflict of interest. Business Brokers like me owe a fiduciary duty to clients, and are required to disclose all material facts to clients, which is why I'm willing to offer notarized affidavits to clients confirming that I've disclosed all facts. Partnership / RC promoters usually refuse to offer notarized affidavits to EB-5 visa seekers stating that they've disclosed all material facts and conflicts of interest to investors. EB-5 visa seekers should not trust such people or deal with them. We always advise EB-5 visa seekers to request CPA audited financial statements in order to avoid fraud.

2. Easy exit strategy: With Direct Investment Businesses, the EB-5 visa seeker has 100% control over the business and can access their funds whenever they want, while partnerships & RC's usually lock in funds for 5-9 years or more. While the funds are locked, it is the promoters that get most of the profits.

3. Capital gains & losses: It is common for EB-5 visa seekers to experience loss of all or part of their capital if they invest in RC's or partnerships, while in 9 years I've yet to see my clients in direct investment businesses lose their capital. EB-5 visa seekers should demand CPA audited financial statements of the promoter's past and present projects to check if prior investors have experienced capital losses. Promoters who refuse to furnish CPA audited statements may be committing fraud. In contrast, those who buy Direct Investment Businesses usually have solid capital gains.

4. Mitigation of visa loss risk: USCIS statistics clearly show that those who invest in partnerships & RC's have an approximately 42% chance of getting their EB-5 visa, while 100% of my clients have successfully obtained their EB-5 visa and in the process have also successfully earned annual profits above 15%, and exited with capital gains in an easy and transparent manner. The chances of getting the visa are higher when EB-5 visa seekers own their own business.

5. Ease of management and absentee ownership: With Direct Investment Businesses, EB-5 visa seekers can own and operate their businesses in any part of the US and still continue professional careers as engineers, doctors, pharmacists, dentists, etc. It is very easy for owners of Direct Investment Businesses to manage and operate their businesses even on part time basis if they're working full time jobs and managing their businesses only 12-20 hours a week.

6. Solid profit earnings: It is very easy for investors in Direct Investment Businesses to earn profits of 15-50% annually, while investors in partnerships and RC's usually earn 1% annually. In dollar terms, over a 5 year period, EB-5 visa seekers who invest $1,000,000 in a partnership or RC get $50,000 total dividends if they're lucky, while those who bought their own Businesses usually earned $1,000,000 or more in profits. This is a massive difference in profits.

I've helped 53 investors successfully obtain EB-5 visas, and will be happy to assist those who wish to get their EB-5 visas in a quick & safe manner.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online: http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com



Why do our EB-5 visa investor clients in Direct Investment Businesses get approved while others are denied? The answer's simple: We work hard to ensure that we are conservative & comply with the law.

My website shows our process and this link http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.2540a6fdd667d1d1c2e21e10569391a0/?vgnextoid=0609b8a04e812210VgnVCM1000006539190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=0609b8a04e812210VgnVCM1000006539190aRCRD&path=%2FB7+-+Form+I-526+and+I-829%2FDecisions_Issued_in_2013 shows why our process works while many of our competitors clients were denied:

The 2013 investor petition decisions shown in the link above are all related to I-526 petitions, and all but APR172013_01B7203 are for direct investment EB-5 cases. It seems that whosoever is now writing AAO decisions is very detail-oriented and a fan of the precedent decision Matter of Ho. This AAO writer repeatedly returns to the decision’s treatment of the “at risk” requirement. According to Matter of Ho: “Simply formulating an idea for future business activity, without taking meaningful concrete action, is similarly insufficient for a petitioner to meet the at-risk requirement. Before it can be said that capital made available to a commercial enterprise has been placed at risk, a petitioner must present some evidence of the actual undertaking of business activity; otherwise, no assurance exists that the funds will in fact be used to carry out the business of the commercial enterprise. This petitioner’s de minimis action of signing a lease agreement, without more, is not enough.” Now the AAO is also focused on the issue of “meaningful concrete action,” and is requiring EB-5 visa petitioners to provide evidence of funds already spent in the business, contracts already executed, and employees already hired prior to I-526 filing. These aren't for I-829 cases, but I-526 cases. Direct EB-5 investors should remember that if they have primary control over the business’s bank account, USCIS may require you to show evidence at I-526 that you not only invested $500K/$1 million but that your business has already spent or was irrevocably/contractually committed to spending that amount before you even filed the I-526 petition. This is why our clients are avoiding RFE's while our competitor's clients are getting denied. There is a reason we're confidently offering fee refund guarantees while our competitors refuse to offer the same guarantee. The reason is simple: We're the best because we put our client's interests first, and our competitors know that they aren't even in our league because they're not in business to serve clients but to cheat clients.

Some people may ask: Is it fair to deny a case because the petitioner provided, in RFE, a copy of a lease that post-dated I-526 filing? Because the petitioner, prior to I-526 approval, spent only a portion of the one million invested in the NCE business?

I say, better to be conservative, especially if it helps reduce and eliminate fraud, than to be liberal and continue seeing thousands of EB-5 visa investors being ripped off by the same crooks who cheated thousands of EB-5 visa investors by committing securities fraud using regional centers. On a related note, I won't be surprised if EB-5 visa seekers who chose Fred Burgess & Joe Sloboda's direct investment franchises end up getting rejected and suffering capital loss and visa denial too. You heard it here first!

Yours truly
Mohamed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online:

Friday, September 6, 2013

Are escrows needed for EB-5 visa petitions? Not really. It's just another gimmick by shady lawyers to make money.

I've been seeing several articles by Mr. Cohen on LinkedIn, who talks about the different types of escrows and regional centers (seriously, just WHO in their right mind is even considering regional centers or partnerships nowadays, especially after reading about the fraud, conflict of interest, multi-agency investigations and delayed processing of regional center sponsored EB-5 visa petitions).

Well, here's news for you Mr. Cohen: We've been creating corporate entities for our EB-5 visa investor clients, and then having our EB-5 visa clients deposit their funds into bank accounts owned and operated by their corporate entities, and there have been no problems whatsoever in getting approvals. The EB-5 visa investor's funds are always under full ownership and control of the EB-5 visa investor, who can immediately repatriate the invested funds back to their home country in case the petition is rejected (which, by the way hasn't happened at all since 2004). The USCIS sees no problem in such arrangements, so please explain to us: Just why would someone put their funds into escrow account controlled by shady lawyers or regional centers or dubious partnerships such as those offered by David Tashroudian or Zoe Makhsous or others, where the partnership / regional center promoter is basically looking to get rich off OPM (Other People's Money) when the alternative is the ability to fully control the funds in a business account owned and controlled by the EB-5 visa seeker?

The fact is, when an EB-5 visa investor opts for Direct Investment Business without any partners, they not only minimise their risk, they also usually earn about 20 times the earnings they'd see (if they're actually lucky to see earnings) with regional centers / partnership promoters / shady franchise promoters who promote franchises with not so great track records such as Marcos Pizza or Voodoo. What these shady franchise promoters such as Fred Burgess (who usually doesn't disclose his pre-existing relationship with Voodoo) / David Tashroudian (who wanted to pocket a full 10% of sales from Carl's Jr. Franchisees by claiming they were royalties) / B. Hall (who tries to sell overpriced franchises of Marcos Pizza to EB-5 visa investors) fail to disclose is the fact that they actually receive undisclosed financial benefits in exchange for placing unsuspecting EB-5 visa seekers in third rate franchises, while we honestly earn our fees by only placing EB-5 visa investors in blue chip franchises (such as KFC / Subway / Napa Auto Parts / Burger King / Wendys etc.) with excellent track records, without getting or soliciting ANY fees whatsoever from the franchisor.

Mr. Cohen talks about regional centers, but neglects to mention that they're not only the target of an ongoing multi-agency investigation for fraud and money laundering that has resulted in regional center sponsored EB-5 visa petitions being delayed for over a year (while Direct Investment Business based EB-5 visa petitions are usually approved in less than half the time) or the fact that regional centers engage in so much fraud and conflict of interest that regional center promoters, CEO's and CFO's refuse to offer notarized affidavits stating that they are not committing fraud or engaging in conflict of interest. Mr. Cohen even refuses to discuss the fact that regional centers and partnerships offer truly shitty exit policies to EB5 visa seekers, due to which funds are locked in for 5-9 years of earning low (or no) ROI. Our clients have easy exit policies as they fully own and control their own business.

Direct Investment Businesses in blue chip franchises (that are fully owned and controlled by an EB-5 visa investor) usually have the following advantages over regional centers / partnerships / third rate franchises:


1) Quick approval: Direct Investment Businesses are assessed very objectively by the USCIS on only 3 criteria: Were funds lawfully obtained and transferred to create 10 permanent full time jobs for US citizens and LPR's (Lawful Permanent Residents)? There are no issues such as tenant occupancy or other subjective criteria used. As a matter of fact, nowadays, EB-5 visa petitions sponsored by Direct Investment Businesses are approved a lot sooner than those filed by Regional Centers or Partnerships as securities law questions are not implicated and neither are indirect job creation criteria used.

2) Excellent ROE: It is quite usual to see annual Return On Equity (ROE) of 20-30%, while those who opt for regional centers and partnerships usually see low ROE of 1% and often see no ROE at all.

3) Easy exit strategy: It is quite easy to sell running Subway or Five Guys or KFC / Taco Bell or Dunkin Donut / Baskin Robbin shops, and quite difficult to sell partnership stakes in regional centers or other partnerships where the EB-5 visa investor supplies most of the equity capital but gets only small percentage ownership in equity.

4) Zero fraud or conflict of interest: We proudly offer a written guarantee of 0 fraud or conflict of interest to our clients, while our competitors usually won't do so as they are more interested in deceiving EB-5 visa investors instead of serving them.

5) Full disclosure of material facts: We proudly offer a written guarantee of full disclosure of material facts to ALL of our clients, while our competitors usually won't do so as they are more interested in deceiving EB-5 visa investors instead of serving them.

6) Capital gains: ALL of our clients have exited with capital gains (which is expected when selling solid businesses), while in 10 yeas I've yet to see even a single regional center client exit with capital gains. Even those who were gullible enough to invest in third rate franchises aren't likely to get capital gains on exit.

7) Full control of capital: Our client's funds are only placed in corporate bank accounts wholly owned and controlled by the corporate entity we set up for our clients.

8) Full fee refund guarantee: We confidently offer a 100% fee refund guarantee in case our client is rejected due to our fault, while our competitors usually NEVER offer this guarantee. We don't believe in making our clients pay for our mistakes, while our competitors do believe in making the EB-5 visa investor client pay for their faults.

As such, whenever EB-5 visa seekers see shady solutions being promoted, they need to ask probing questions in order to avoid being cheated out of their hard earned money. We know that it's hard to earn money and easy to burn money, which is why we work hard to educate EB-5 visa investors, as we believe that an educated EB-5 visa seeker will be our best clients, while our competitors believe that educated EB-5 visa seekers are their worst nightmare.

For more details, please visit our website and join our LinkedIn.com group 'EB-5 visa - Direct Investment Business".

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business Broker (CA & FL)
Phone: +1 407 535 0616
Online:

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Are you an Indian interested in getting the EB-5 visa? We can still help transfer money LEGALLY out of India!

The new RBI rules state that the maximum annual outward remittance is $75000. We have a legal workaround to help our clients send the full USD 1 Million out of India in 1 single transaction in a legal and RBI authorised way. We offer this service ONLY to our paying EB-5 visa clients from India, so if you're not a paying client of ours, please don't ask us to reveal HOW we will legally move your money.

We offer a 100% fee refund guarantee to our clients if our client is rejected due to our fault and as the client is always in full control of their funds (which are kept in the accounts of the corporate entity owned by our client), there is no question about escrow delays, fraud or loss of funds.

For further details, please visit my website http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com or contact on +1 407 535 0616.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA, CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)