Their dirty little secrets are out, finally meeting the public eye.

It's about time these crooks start paying what they owe...

A quiet federal crackdown is under way to catch bankers involved in serious scandals costing taxpayers billions since the late 1990s.

JP Morgan's silver scandal and Gold Cartel secrets will soon be exposed in the mix.

Although it's not uncommon for those in positions of power with loads of stolen cash to bribe reporters (especially when it comes to a scandal that cons innocent, unknowing taxpayers directly), that doesn't mean there aren't dozens of ongoing investigations amidst piles of undeniably compelling evidence.

Since 2009, federal authorities have secured at least 19 convictions or guilty pleas from bankers accused of systematically defrauding states, local government, and non-profits.

In the past six months alone, the investigation has resulted in seven convictions or guilty pleas.

Firms associated with criminal investigations include three Fortune 500 companies: Bank of America, JPMorgan, and General Electric.

As restitution, government agencies have collected over $740 million in penalties and other fees from these institutions.

Here's how the frauds were able to manipulate the system at your expense, according to CNNMoney:

State and local governments issue municipal bonds to fund things like road construction and school repairs. In some cases, they issue the bonds on behalf of non-profits or companies that will spend the money on projects benefiting the public.

The market for these bonds is massive, with more than $3.7 trillion outstanding as of the beginning of this year, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Governments and other issuers don't typically spend all the proceeds from their bonds right away, instead investing some of the money and holding it for future expenditures.

To figure out how to invest that money, they hire brokers who advise on and manage a bidding process among financial institutions competing for their business. Bids are solicited from firms like UBS and JPMorgan, which submit the interest rates they're willing to offer on the bond proceeds.

JPMorgan is in serious trouble.

GATA's Bill Murphy predicts explosive upside moves for precious metals shortly after the conclusion of the ongoing investigations — especially following those focused on JPMorgan specifically.

Gold and silver 'conspiracy theories' are on the verge of becoming widely accepted as conspiracy facts.

Murphy explains all the markets have been manipulated to the benefit of the financial elite, but now JPMorgan and the Gold Cartel are beginning to lose control.

Central banks and billionaires have been stocking up on cheap gold and silver, but the reality is there's not enough supply to keep the prices down.

Murphy told Altinvestors.com:

This thing is gonna blow up. Whether it’s a Madoff or an Enron, you never know when the thing’s gonna blow. I stated previously that in August the launch would start. The launch has started.

There is going to be a JP Morgan silver scandal to rival LIBOR. They’ve been caught. There are whistle-blowers that are going to do a Madoff on them. This thing is going to explode, it’s going to be sensational, and MEGA!

The JPMorgan scandal and other short-silver and gold capers will have the metals soaring remarkably fast — certainly not overnight, but quickly in market terms.

Finally, precious metals markets are about to exposed for what they really are: the ONLY trusted form of currency right now.

And the supply slump is far more serious than the banking schemers led you to believe...

Experts have said there is a “tremendous scarcity,” making gold and silver worth more than anything else you can or will be able to invest in in the foreseeable future.

While the rest of the financial system is held together by a few fraying strands, the precious metals market is set to skyrocket as the rest of the system collapses.

All signs in the market allude to this notion...

Earlier this week, gold completed what is known as the rare Golden Cross — suggesting a serious upside for gold in the coming months.

A Golden Cross occurs when the current price and shorter-term moving averages (such as the 50-day moving average) cross or rise above the longer-term 200-day moving average.

August through February is a historically popular time for gold price spikes, so I suggest you prepare accordingly...

Even Bernanke and other central bankers won't be able to help their rich friends stock up by keeping metal prices down once the rest of the world catches on to what's been going on.

The laws of supply and demand will always prevail.

Those laws leave silver and gold with no direction to go but UP.

Until next time,

Brittany Stepniak
for Wealth Daily

Cheers

W.C. Guy