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by Mike Caswell

Bruce Strebinger, the Vancouver man charged in the United States for a $17-million OTC Bulletin Board scheme, has asked that the courts dismiss the case. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.) He says there is no evidence that he did anything wrong. He was simply an "interested shareholder" during a paid promotional effort.

Mr. Strebinger, 38, is responding to a civil fraud complaint that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed against him and another Canadian, Brent Chapman, for the promotion of a purported Tennessee coal company. The SEC said that the men arranged for a misleading $3.5-million paid touting campaign for Americas Energy Company in 2009. They then sold $17-million worth of shares without making the required disclosures, according to the SEC.

The allegations, however, fall far short of showing any wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Strebinger, he claims. In a motion to dismiss the case filed on Tuesday, Feb. 17, he portrays himself as simply being an interested shareholder in the company. He denies having anything more than a very minor role in the paid tout sheets, and says the SEC's complaint lists others as carrying out all the key roles in those reports.

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