SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

             Litigation Release No. 16147 / May 14, 1999

             S.E.C. v. Anthony J. Marino et al., Civil Action No. 2:99CV
             0258G (USDC UT).

                  On April 20, 1999, the Commission filed a complaint in
             the U.S. District Court, District of Utah, against Anthony
             J. Marino, Gregory C. Johnson, Richard Ames Higgins, Mousa
             International, AJM Global, and Consortio Intranacional for
             the fraudulent sale of at least $15 million  in investment
             contract securities to at least 80 investors from all areas
             of  the United States and several foreign countries.  The
             complaint alleges that beginning in 1997, Marino, Johnson,
             and Higgins used Mousa International, AJM Global, and
             Consortio Intranacional to raise over $15 million from the
             sale of interests in “investment enhancement programs„ in
             which investors’ funds were to be pooled and invested in
             “prime bank instruments„ through a “prime bank„ or a “major
             world bank in Europe.„  Investors were promised returns of
             as high as 800 percent per year and were told that their
             investments in these discounted bank instruments were risk-
             free in that Lloyds of London would issue an insurance
             policy on the programs.

                  The complaint alleges that the defendants violated
             Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of
             1933, and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of
             1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and seeks preliminary and
             permanent injunctions, an asset freeze, civil penalties,
             accountings, and disgorgement.  A temporary restraining
             order and asset freeze was entered on April 20, 1999, by the
             Honorable J. Thomas Greene, United States District Judge.
             On April 29, 1999, Judge Greene entered a preliminary
             injunction  and continued the asset freeze against all the
             defendants but Higgins, for whom the TRO and asset freeze
             was extended to May 10, 1999.