On October 26, 2011, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed suit against Andrey Hicks and the hedge fund manager he ran, Locust Offshore Management, LLC (LOM), alleging that they defrauded investors by fabricating the existence of a British Virgin Islands-incorporated pooled investment fund.  The SEC’s complaint (Complaint) also names the purported fund, Locust Offshore Fund, Ltd. (LOF), as a relief defendant.  The Complaint, among other things, sheds new light on an old due diligence verity – the imperative of thorough background checks.  See “In Conducting Background Checks of Hedge Fund Managers, What Specific Categories of Information Should Investors Check, and How Frequently Should Checks be Performed?,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 2, No. 36 (Sep. 9, 2009).