I recently came across an investment opportunity which called " Valcor Investment ". I found the material that they supplied to be inconsistent, sometimes untruthful, and incomplete.
Please note that this post is my research only, and potential investors should carry out their own research on Valcor Investment.
Some of the people and companies involved:
Valcor Investment
valcorinvestment.com
Valcor Nicaragua S.A
Exportaciones Maderas del Atlantico
IPEC International (Nicaragua)
What Vince Matlock says on his website valcorinvestment.com:
"Costa Rica Premier Marketing represents a company with timber concession rights with the Nicaraguan government. Because of the size of the devastation and the amount of timber that needs to be harvested they are selling 1000 shares at $10,000 each for a total of $10,000,000. Most of this money will be used to purchase equipment to harvest the lumber. Estimates exceed 2,500,000 cubic meters of lumber with a market value of $1 Billion."
Apparently by investing $10,000 in this, you would stand to make $200,000 to $300,000. WOW. a 3000% return on investment!! Why is the share price so cheap? In fact, why don't the founders take a LEASE on all of the machinery which would be much cheaper, and raise less capital? (less shareholders should mean more profits for the founders).
That's the first alarm bell.
2nd Alarm bell: Several SEC regulations are being broken by Valcor Investment:
1) The main risks to the investment should be outlined, they are not.
2)
Audited accounts of IPEC INTERNATIONAL (the company that is being invested into, NOT Valcor Investment) and EXPORTADORAS DE MADERAS DEL ATLANTICO should be made available, but at the time I was presented with this investment no accounts where presented. UPDATE: 2 months have passed and audited accounts are still not available. No one in their right mind would invest in a company without seeing audited accounts which prove the company actually has some assets! And no company is ALLOWED to sell public shares without presenting audited accounts.
3) Vince Matlock has made a number of press releases stating that institutional investors were investing and that they would buy up all the shares within a matter of days. The same press releases advised us to buy our shares quickly!! However having spoken to those institutional investors, it seems that there was nothing more than a "first telephone call". Now that a few weeks have past I am not aware that any institutional money has actually been invested.
4) Vince Matlock has broken investor confidentiality laws by spreading the names of potential investors to other potential investors, in order to shore up confidence.
5) Vince Matlock's team lied to potential investors by telling them that some people had invested in these shares, when in fact those people had no intention of investing.
6) It is illegal for a private share offering to be offered to US persons unless they are closely involved with the company or the people who are close to the deal.
3rd Alarm bell:
I believe that the concessions for timber which this whole project relies on, might have been suspended. I don't know if this information is accurate, but it would make the company that is being invested into worthless. I don't know if this document is still accurate, but then again I do not know that the Valcor documents can be trusted either!
See page 7, article 7 of this document:
http://www.asamblea.gob.ni/opciones/agenda/2007/IV%20SESION/Adendum%20No.%20004/2.32.doc
VALCOR INVESTMENT. Whilst I am not saying that this "Valcor investment opportunity" is definitely a scam or fraud, I do encourage potential investors to be very careful. In my opinion, Dan Chambers and Vince Matlock have not done the required due diligence for this investment, and are using boiler-room tactics to get individual investors to commit. I recommend that potential investors do their own due diligence.
Here is the biography of some of the people involved in pushing the Valcor Investment share placement, as per the "Costa Rica Premier Realty" website.
Vince Matlock - CEO
Vince Matlock has 25 years experience in banking and finance in the US and Costa Rica. A native of New York, he has lived in Costa Rica off and on for 30 years. He has built several houses and apartment buildings in the US as well as Costa Rica. He is current working on two projects in Costa Rica, Villas Cabo Vela in Playa Grande, Guanacaste and a nature oriented tourist destination in Limon. He has 3 kids and currently resides in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Donya Carter - President
Donya Carter began her marketing career in the hospitality business in the US and Costa Rica. Born in Boston, she moved to Limon, Costa Rica in 1968 and has been a resident in Costa Rica for over 30 years. She has designed marketing and sales strategies for hotels and resorts, tour operations and Real Estate development companies. She has 4 daughters and currently resides in Brasil de Mora, Costa Rica.
Mario Miranda - Executive Vice President
Mario has 20 year of experience in finance in Costa Rica. He graduated from graduate school with an MBA in finanace, after which he has held several positions in banks in Costa Rica. He has been teh finance manager at two banks here in Costa Rica as well as been a financial advisor.He is married and has two chidren. Mario resides in Escazu, Costa Rica.
Dan Chambers - IT and Call Center Manager
Dan Chambers graduated in the top of his class from Texas A&M University with a degree in Management of Information Systems and a certificate in International Business. After graduation he worked as the assistant project manager on the remodel of the Houston Humble Oil Building in downtown Houston, helping transform it into a beautiful hotel and corporate apartments. From there he travelled to Mexico to work as the CFO and General Manager on a start up tilapia farm. He has been living in Costa Rica for a year and a half and resides in Santa Ana, Costa Rica
Christian Castro - Administrative Assistant
Christian works directly with each person here at Costa Rica Premier Realty. He is studying engineering systems in college right now. Christian resides in Escazu, Costa Rica.
Our staff coordinates your real estate investments and purchases in Costa Rica with sound and competent attorney client counseling that specialize in real estate transactions, title insurance companies and licensed home inspection services.
Our exclusive bank financing system will quickly match your financial needs with lending institutions. We know the laws, markets, resources and other realtor professionals.
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PRESS RELEASES BY VALCOR INVESTMENT. WE DECIDED TO INCLUDE THESE PRESS RELEASES HERE AS THEY HAVE NOT BEEN POSTED ON THE VALCORINVESTMENT.COM WEBSITE. NOTICE THE DATE OF THE PRESS RELEASE AND HOW QUICKLY THEY SAY ALL THE SHARES WILL BE SOLD.
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PRESS RELEASE April 30, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Vince Matlock
CR Premier Marketing
Valcor has Retained the Law Firm of Richardson
Patel
Valcor has retained the law firm of Richardson
Patel to represent them in the U.S. Richardson Patel is working with Valcor and
SMH Capital for a $40 million captial injection which would enable
Valcor to process all of the downed timber in the 7 concessions which they
own. SMH Capital is aware of the urgency of the investment and has expressed a
desire to move as quickly as possible to do their due diligence. Funding could
happen as quickly as 30 days - act now to reserve your Class A shares, we only
have a few left
.
PRESS RELEASE May 5, 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Vince Matlock
CR Premier Marketing
SMH Capital to Invest $25 Million
As previously mentioned, Valcor has retained the
law firm of Anderson Patel in Los Angeles to represent them in the US. SMH
Capital, in conjunction with Anderson Patel is in due diligence for an
investment in Valcor and/or IPEC for $25,000,000.
SMH
Capital Inc. (member FINRA / SIPC ) provides asset
management, wealth management, and capital markets services to affluent private
investors, institutions, and middle-market corporations. The Asset & Wealth
Management businesses span a range of specialized investment programs. Its
Capital Markets divisions offer a full range of services including: private
placements and public offerings of equity and debt securities, financial
advisory services, institutional equity sales, trading, and research, as well as
prime brokerage services for hedge funds and fixed income securities sales and
trading
MAY 12 2008
Val just signed a placement agreement with Casimir Capital out of NY
(I can give you their name since they are just a broker) who feel
very confident they can fund all 7 concessions for $80 million (it
would be funded in stages) in a very short time frame. Once we get a LOI we
will be allowed to disclose the name if Casimir allows it. We are talking to several other large investors but until we get something in writing from them we cannot disclose their names.
Valcor Investment Nicaragua Timber
