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For Immediate Release
September 4, 2013

For more information contact:
Larry Dyekman (312) 781-1372, ldyekman@nfa.futures.org
Karen Wuertz (312) 781-1335, kwuertz@nfa.futures.org

NFA takes emergency enforcement action against California firm Newport Private Capital LLC, Jonathan M. Hansen, the firm's principal, and David M. Giunta, a former principal of the firm

September 4, Chicago - National Futures Association (NFA) announced today that it has taken an emergency enforcement action against Newport Private Capital LLC (Newport Private Capital), a registered commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor and NFA Member located in Newport Beach, California; Jonathan M. Hansen (Hansen), an associated person and listed principal of Newport Private Capital; and David M. Giunta (Giunta), a former listed principal and associated person of Newport Private Capital.

NFA has taken the Member Responsibility Action (MRA) and Associate Responsibility Action (ARA) to protect customers of Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Giunta because they have failed to fulfill their financial obligations to participants in the Financial Futures Fund, a commodity pool they operate.

Specifically, the Financial Futures Fund loaned $4 million via a Promissory Note dated March 1, 2009 to the Sure Fund, a real estate fund operated by Solidus Land Company, LLC, an entity operated, in part, by Hansen and Giunta, as managing members, and owned by a principal of Newport Private Capital, Newport Private Capital Holdings LLC, of which Hansen and Giunta each had a 50% ownership interest. Giunta executed the Promissory Note as "Manager of Sure Fund, LLC," and Sure Fund subsequently defaulted on the Promissory Note in 2012. Currently the Promissory Note remains unpaid with monies due to the Financial Futures Fund totaling approximately $6.1 million, including accrued interest.

At the time that Giunta executed the Promissory Note on behalf of Sure Fund, Hansen and Giunta also executed unconditional personal guarantees to repay the loan in the event Sure Fund defaulted on the Promissory Note. To date, despite the Sure Fund's 2012 default of the Promissory Note, neither Hansen nor Giunta have satisfied their personal guarantees.

The MRA/ARA orders Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Giunta to repay in full any monies borrowed plus accrued interest pursuant to the Promissory Note on or before January 15, 2014. In addition, Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Guinta and any other person acting on behalf of them will be prohibited from soliciting or accepting any funds from customers or for any managed accounts or commodity pools until Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Giunta have submitted new disclosure document(s) to NFA containing information about the Member and Associate Responsibility Actions, which have been accepted by NFA.

The MRA/ARA also prohibits Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Giunta from permitting any commodity pool they operate or control to use any means to make any direct or indirect loans or advances of pool assets to Newport Private Capital, Hansen or Giunta or any other person or entity affiliated with Newport Private Capital, Hansen or Giunta. They are also prohibited from disbursing or transferring any funds (other than to margin existing positions) from any trading accounts controlled by any of them or from any pool accounts (including bank, trading or any other types of accounts) without prior approval from NFA.

In the event that Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Giunta fail to comply with any of the requirements set forth in the MRA/ARA, they and any other person acting on behalf of them will be prohibited from placing trades for any pools that they operate or accounts that they own or control or which are held in either of their names, except for liquidation of existing positions.

The MRA/ARA will remain in effect until such time as Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Giunta have demonstrated to the satisfaction of NFA that they are in complete compliance with all NFA Requirements.

Newport Private Capital, Hansen and Giunta may request a hearing before NFA's Hearing Committee.

The complete text of the MRA/ARA is available on NFA's website (www.nfa.futures.org).

The following Compliance staff members are responsible for this case: Joy Bond (312-781-1208) and Peter Wachs (312-781-1201).

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