A law firm with an office in Dayton is investigating the maker of “Words With Friends” and “FarmVille” for possible violations of federal securities laws.

The law firm of Statman, Harris & Eyrich LLC announced Sunday that it is investigating potential violations of federal securities laws and breaches of fiduciary duty by Zynga Inc., the San Francisco-based operator of online social games for social networking sites and mobile platforms.

The investigation is being conducted on behalf of investors who purchased shares of Zynga between Dec. 16, 2011 and July 25, 2012. The firm’s investigation focuses on whether Zynga failed to disclose material adverse facts about its business and financial condition.

According to financial results posted on its website July 25, Zynga experienced a net loss of $22.8 million for the second quarter, lower than expected earnings estimates, and lowered its 2012 outlook to “reflect delays in launching new games, a faster decline in existing web games due in part to a more challenging environment on the Facebook web platform, and reduced expectations for ‘Draw Something.’”

Investors.com reported July 25 that shares were down more than 37 percent after hours Wednesday following Zynga’s report, from a close of $5.078 on July 25 to $3.06 per share.

The investigation also is looking into the timing of stock sales in early April by Zynga’s executive officers pursuant to the company’s secondary stock offering announced March 28, wherein the executives reportedly sold nearly 43 million shares at a price of $12 per share.

Statman, Harris & Eyrich has experience in consumer and securities fraud class actions and derivative litigation. The firm has offices in Chicago, Cincinnati, Dayton and Sarasota, Fla.