Market Manipulation. Search

Market manipulation case library

This library records 2,117 market manipulation enforcement actions brought by financial regulators, each with the agency, the date, the alleged technique, the monetary relief ordered and a link to the regulator's own filing. The whole dataset is downloadable as JSON.

Actions
2,117
Total penalties
$15.4bn
Median penalty
$258k
Agencies
2
Techniques
36

Browse by facet

Every facet below is a real page with its own URL, so it works without JavaScript and can be linked, bookmarked and cited.

By technique

Insider trading 608 Ponzi schemes 532 Paid stock promotion 219 Unregistered distributions 136 Pump and dump 121 Undisclosed control blocks 119 Spoofing 114 Wash trading 90 Price manipulation 72 Boiler rooms 71 Reverse merger schemes 66 The naked short selling debate 41 Benchmark submission rigging 32 Matched orders 24 Churning 19 Free riding and parking 18 Fake press releases 16 Layering 15 Newsletter scalping 15 Marking the close 10 Cash versus derivatives schemes 10 Front running 9 Shell factories 8 Chat group pumps 6 False rumours 5 Custodianship shell hijacking 5 Settlement price manipulation 4 Exchange wash trading 3 Banging the close 3 FX fixing 3 Engineered short squeeze 2 Marking the open 1 Rug pulls 1 Insider listing trading 1 Oracle manipulation 1 Float locking 1

By agency

CFTC 349 SEC 1768

By year filed

2026 85 2025 103 2024 182 2023 202 2022 174 2021 142 2020 178 2019 181 2018 221 2017 210 2016 179 2015 205 2014 27 2013 28

Ranked lists: largest penalties · largest spoofing penalties · longest sentences · most-charged individuals · biggest crypto cases · most active courts

All actions, newest first

Action Agency Filed Technique Penalty Status
SEC v. Christopher Clark and William Wright (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-12-11 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. J. Jeremy Barbera, Carl Smith, and Nanobeak Biotech Inc. (paid stock promotion, 2020) SEC 2020-12-09 Paid Stock Promotion — judgment
CFTC v. Vitol Inc. (price manipulation, 2020) CFTC 2020-12-03 Price Manipulation $95.7m judgment
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-12-01 Spoofing — unknown
SEC v. Mark Alan Lisser a/k/a Mark Alan a/k/a Mark Allen (boiler rooms, 2020) SEC 2020-12-01 Boiler Rooms — filed
SEC v. Garrett M. O'Rourke and Michael J. Black (pump and dump, 2020) SEC 2020-11-30 Pump And Dump — judgment
SEC v. Rumbaugh et al (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-11-24 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. and American Portfolios Advisors, Inc. (churning, 2020) SEC 2020-11-13 Churning — settled
SEC v. Douglas A. Roth (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-11-09 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Ieremenko et al. (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-11-05 Insider Trading $175k judgment
SEC v. Michael J. Pires (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-11-05 Insider Trading $18.6k settled
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (paid stock promotion, 2020) CFTC 2020-11-04 Paid Stock Promotion , Ponzi Schemes $450k judgment
SEC v. Terrence Chalk, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-11-03 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Alex Forester, Michael Hicks, Yarden Krampf, Christopher Lee, Sean O'Neal, Michael Raynor, and Lee Sobel (boiler rooms, 2020) SEC 2020-10-27 Boiler Rooms — filed
SEC v. Mustafa David Sayid, Esq. (paid stock promotion, 2020) SEC 2020-10-22 Paid Stock Promotion — judgment
SEC v. Paul Horton Smith, Sr. and others (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-10-22 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Reynolds and Norman T., Esq. (paid stock promotion, 2020) SEC 2020-10-22 Paid Stock Promotion — judgment
SEC v. Jillian Sidoti (undisclosed control blocks, 2020) SEC 2020-10-19 Undisclosed Control Blocks — filed
SEC v. Rudden, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-10-16 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Andeavor LLC (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-10-15 Insider Trading — settled
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (wash trading, 2020) CFTC 2020-10-13 Wash Trading $5.7m judgment
SEC v. Alexander Rowland (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-10-13 Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-10-06 Spoofing — unknown
SEC v. McAfee et al. (paid stock promotion, 2020) SEC 2020-10-06 Paid Stock Promotion — filed
CFTC v. Chicago Prop Firm and 3 Traders (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-30 Spoofing $100k judgment
CFTC v. Sunoco (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-30 Spoofing $450k judgment
CFTC v. Texas Man (wash trading, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-30 Wash Trading $670k judgment
SEC v. Drew Morgan Ciccarelli (pump and dump, 2020) SEC 2020-09-30 Pump And Dump — filed
SEC v. Joel Stohlman, et al. (matched orders, 2020) SEC 2020-09-30 Matched Orders , Paid Stock Promotion — filed
SEC v. Michael Staisil (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-30 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (naked short selling debate, 2020) SEC 2020-09-30 Naked Short Selling Debate — settled
SEC v. Thomas J. Gity, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-30 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Todd W. Mixon (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-30 Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. JPMorgan (price manipulation, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-29 Price Manipulation , Spoofing — judgment
CFTC v. New Jersey Firm (wash trading, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-29 Wash Trading $300k judgment
CFTC v. Slovakian Men and Their Company (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-29 Spoofing — filed
SEC v. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (cash vs derivatives schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-29 Cash Vs Derivatives Schemes , Layering +1 — filed
SEC v. Lewis I. Wallach (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-29 Ponzi Schemes — settled
CFTC v. New York Firm and its Trader (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-28 Spoofing $135k judgment
SEC v. Laksha Bohra, Viky Bohra, and Gotham Bohra (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-28 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Christopher D. Bachinski (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-25 Insider Trading $23.1k settled
SEC v. Eric M. Hill (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-25 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Rachelle A. Thatcher (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-25 Insider Trading $11.6k settled
SEC v. Craig A. Zabala (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-24 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Edward T. Kelly (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-23 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. PowerTradersPress.com, Inc., et al. (boiler rooms, 2020) SEC 2020-09-21 Boiler Rooms — judgment
SEC v. Robert Hoddes Jacobs (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-21 Insider Trading $157k judgment
SEC v. Scott Allen Fries (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-17 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Steven J. Sheinfeld (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-17 Insider Trading — filed
CFTC v. 4 Florida Men (ponzi schemes, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-16 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Henry Sargent et al. (undisclosed control blocks, 2020) SEC 2020-09-16 Undisclosed Control Blocks — judgment
CFTC v. Edge Financial Technologies (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-15 Spoofing $48.4k judgment
SEC v. Unikrn, Inc. (paid stock promotion, 2020) SEC 2020-09-15 Paid Stock Promotion — settled
CFTC v. Walsh (ponzi schemes, 2020) CFTC 2020-09-11 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Craig P. Moyes (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-10 Insider Trading $116k settled
SEC v. Richard M. Kirsch and Adam Terris (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-10 Insider Trading $1.1m settled
SEC v. Covalent Collective, Inc. (unregistered distributions, 2020) SEC 2020-09-03 Unregistered Distributions — settled
SEC v. Peter DiChiara (reverse merger schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-03 Reverse Merger Schemes $40k judgment
SEC v. Phillip W. Conley (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-03 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Steven Fitzgerald Brown (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-09-03 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Yue Li (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-09-03 Insider Trading — settled
CFTC v. Multiple Individuals and Entities (ponzi schemes, 2020) CFTC 2020-08-28 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Sepehr Sarshar (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-08-25 Insider Trading — filed
CFTC v. The Bank of Nova Scotia (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-08-19 Spoofing $17m judgment
CFTC v. The Bank of Nova Scotia (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-08-19 Spoofing $50m judgment
SEC v. Milan K. Patel, Esq. (pump and dump, 2020) SEC 2020-08-14 Pump And Dump — unknown
SEC v. Dale Tenhulzen et al. (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-08-13 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Kelvin Boon, LLC and Rajesh Pavithran (undisclosed control blocks, 2020) SEC 2020-08-13 Undisclosed Control Blocks — settled
SEC v. Sean R. Stewart et al. (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-08-13 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Vu Anh Nguyen, et al. (free riding and parking, 2020) SEC 2020-08-11 Free Riding And Parking — settled
SEC v. Nicholas Mejia Scrivener (layering, 2020) SEC 2020-08-10 Layering , Spoofing $50k settled
SEC v. Jack Brewer (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-08-06 Insider Trading — filed
CFTC v. NYMEX (insider trading, 2020) CFTC 2020-08-04 Insider Trading $4m settled
SEC v. Victor Lee Farias and Integrity Aviation & Leasing, LLC (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-08-04 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Mustafa David Sayid (pump and dump, 2020) SEC 2020-07-29 Pump And Dump $160k judgment
SEC v. Celadon Financial Group LLC (naked short selling debate, 2020) SEC 2020-07-27 Naked Short Selling Debate — settled
SEC v. Harold L. Altvater (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-07-24 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. IRTH Communications, LLC and Andrew Haag (paid stock promotion, 2020) SEC 2020-07-22 Paid Stock Promotion $35k settled
SEC v. Edmond Leung (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-07-21 Insider Trading $69.6k settled
SEC v. Joseph Zhang (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-07-21 Insider Trading $66.7k settled
SEC v. Abetterfinancialplan.Com, LLC (unregistered distributions, 2020) SEC 2020-07-14 Unregistered Distributions — settled
SEC v. Plutus Financial Inc. d/b/a Abra and Plutus Technologies Philippines Corp. (paid stock promotion, 2020) SEC 2020-07-13 Paid Stock Promotion — settled
CFTC v. California and Colorado Residents (ponzi schemes, 2020) CFTC 2020-07-08 Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. Illinois Resident and Broker (wash trading, 2020) CFTC 2020-07-06 Wash Trading $250k judgment
SEC v. Ralph C. Greaves, Esq. (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-07-06 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Michelle Dipp (reverse merger schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-06-30 Reverse Merger Schemes — settled
SEC v. BNP Paribas Securities Corp. (naked short selling debate, 2020) SEC 2020-06-29 Naked Short Selling Debate — settled
SEC v. Dandan Wu (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-06-29 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Todd H. Lahr, Esq. (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-06-24 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Todd Lahr and Thomas Megas (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-06-24 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Matthew Ledvina, Esq. (pump and dump, 2020) SEC 2020-06-22 Pump And Dump — unknown
CFTC v. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. (spoofing, 2020) CFTC 2020-06-18 Spoofing $9m settled
SEC v. Diane J. Harrison, Esq. (undisclosed control blocks, 2020) SEC 2020-06-18 Undisclosed Control Blocks — judgment
SEC v. Gomes et al. (unregistered distributions, 2020) SEC 2020-06-18 Unregistered Distributions — filed
SEC v. Neil Burkholz, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-06-15 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
CFTC v. Unregistered Commodity Pool Operator and Its Chief Executive Officer (ponzi schemes, 2020) CFTC 2020-06-11 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Jason C. Nielsen (pump and dump, 2020) SEC 2020-06-10 Pump And Dump , Spoofing — filed
SEC v. Daniel F. Putnam, Jean Paul Ramirez Rico, Angel A. Rodriguez, MMT Distribution, LLC, R & D Global (ponzi schemes, 2020) SEC 2020-06-05 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Jana Faith Kiena, CPA (insider trading, 2020) SEC 2020-06-05 Insider Trading $125k settled
CFTC v. Kentucky Man (ponzi schemes, 2020) CFTC 2020-06-02 Ponzi Schemes — filed