Market Manipulation. Search

Market manipulation case library

This library records 2,428 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
2,428
Total penalties
$14.3bn
Median penalty
$200k
Agencies
5
Techniques
47

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 725 Ponzi schemes 602 Unregistered distributions 158 Paid stock promotion 129 Price manipulation 125 Pump and dump 125 Spoofing 118 Wash trading 107 Rule 105 offering shorts 84 Boiler rooms 78 Undisclosed control blocks 59 Reverse merger schemes 59 The naked short selling debate 55 Benchmark submission rigging 49 Matched orders 36 Churning 25 Layering 21 Free riding and parking 18 Marking the close 15 Fake press releases 15 Mismarking 15 Front running 14 Newsletter scalping 14 Cash versus derivatives schemes 13 Hack to trade 13 Sham tender offers 13 Chat group pumps 11 FX fixing 11 Social media ramps 10 EDGAR filing fraud 10 Paid crypto market making 8 Custodianship shell hijacking 6 False rumours 5 Shell factories 5 Hijacked-account ramping 4 Settlement price manipulation 4 Banging the close 3 Short and distort 3 Marking the open 2 Engineered short squeeze 2 Rug pulls 1 Insider listing trading 1 Oracle manipulation 1 Exchange wash trading 1 Float locking 1 Dilution death spirals 1 Options expiry pinning 1

By agency

ASIC 112 CFTC 344 FCA 47 OSC 69 SEC 1856

By year filed

2026 89 2025 114 2024 189 2023 208 2022 176 2021 154 2020 186 2019 192 2018 239 2017 218 2016 198 2015 217 2014 136 2013 102 2012 1 2011 4 2009 1 2007 1 2005 1 2004 2

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
ASIC v. Vaughan Bowen (insider trading, 2022) ASIC 2022-12-23 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Lawrence Billimek and Alan Williams (front running, 2022) SEC 2022-12-20 Front Running — unknown
West Australian man arrested, charged with insider trading offences (ASIC, 2022) ASIC 2022-12-19 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Honeywell International Inc. (Corrected) (wash trading, 2022) SEC 2022-12-19 Wash Trading — unknown
CFTC v. Commodity Pool Operators and Their Co-Chief Investment Officer (price manipulation, 2022) CFTC 2022-12-15 Price Manipulation — filed
Former Courtenay House contractor pleads guilty (ASIC, 2022) ASIC 2022-12-14 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Edward Constantin, et al. (social media ramps, 2022) SEC 2022-12-14 Social Media Ramps — filed
CFTC v. Minnesota Registrant (spoofing, 2022) CFTC 2022-12-12 Spoofing $550k judgment
SEC v. In Ovations Holdings, Inc. and Mark Goldberg (fake press releases, 2022) SEC 2022-12-09 Fake Press Releases , Paid Stock Promotion — judgment
SEC v. Vincent Issier (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-12-06 Insider Trading $6.3k settled
SEC v. Joseph R. Earle Jr, Barry D. Reagh, William Clayton, Francis T. Dudley, Steven E. Bryant, Upper Street Marketing, Inc. and Project Growth International, Inc. (boiler rooms, 2022) SEC 2022-12-05 Boiler Rooms , Pump And Dump — unknown
SEC v. PFP Entrust Corp. (unregistered distributions, 2022) SEC 2022-12-05 Unregistered Distributions $100k settled
SEC v. Bruce Conway et al. (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-12-02 Insider Trading — unknown
CFTC v. Jeremy Spence (ponzi schemes, 2022) CFTC 2022-12-01 Ponzi Schemes $2.8m judgment
SEC v. Yinghang "James" Yang and Yuanbiao Chen (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-11-30 Insider Trading $246k judgment
SEC v. Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. (matched orders, 2022) SEC 2022-11-21 Matched Orders $500k settled
Former Tesla Motors Australia director pleads guilty to insider trading (ASIC, 2022) ASIC 2022-11-16 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Charles Rustin Holzer, Fernando Motta Moraes (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-11-16 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Adrian J. Kawuba, Civ. Action (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-11-14 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Brian Wong (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-11-10 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Infinity Q Diversified Alpha Fund (mismarking, 2022) SEC 2022-11-10 Mismarking — settled
OSC v. Cormark Securities Inc. and others (insider trading, 2022) OSC 2022-11-09 Insider Trading — appealed
SEC v. PIC Renegade Properties, LLC (unregistered distributions, 2022) SEC 2022-11-09 Unregistered Distributions $400k settled
Former Courtenay House director pleads guilty to conducting $180 million Ponzi scheme (ASIC, 2022) ASIC 2022-11-08 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Douver Torres Braga, Joff Paradise, and Keleionalani Akana Taylor, Jonathan Tetreault (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-11-04 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Geraci and Paul (boiler rooms, 2022) SEC 2022-11-04 Boiler Rooms — unknown
SEC v. Michael E. Mueller (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-11-04 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Jeremy K. Rounsville (wash trading, 2022) SEC 2022-11-03 Wash Trading $207k settled
SEC v. Syed Arham Arbab, Tomas Javier Jimenez, Blake Douglas McKinney, Mushfiqur Rahman, John Ryan Shows, and William Carl Spagnoli (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-11-01 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Mark Alan Lisser a/k/a Mark Alan a/k/a Mark Allen (boiler rooms, 2022) SEC 2022-10-27 Boiler Rooms — judgment
SEC v. Scott A. Woodward, CPA (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-10-25 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Brent David Willis (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-10-18 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Kevin B. Merrill, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-10-18 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
CFTC v. Walsh (ponzi schemes, 2022) CFTC 2022-10-17 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. National Realty Investment Advisors LLC, Rey E. Grabato II, Daniel Coley O'Brien, Thomas Nicholas Salzano and others (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-10-14 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Justin Costello and David Ferraro (social media ramps, 2022) SEC 2022-10-06 Social Media Ramps — filed
CFTC v. Digital Asset Derivatives Platform and Miami Resident (price manipulation, 2022) CFTC 2022-10-03 Price Manipulation — filed
SEC v. Harpreet Saini and John Lester Mandac Natividad (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-10-03 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Kimberly Kardashian (paid stock promotion, 2022) SEC 2022-10-03 Paid Stock Promotion $1m settled
SEC v. Mauricio Chavez, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-10-03 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Arbitrade Ltd., et al. (pump and dump, 2022) SEC 2022-09-30 Pump And Dump — unknown
SEC v. Ari Lauer (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-09-30 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Jonathan William Mikula, et al. (paid stock promotion, 2022) SEC 2022-09-30 Paid Stock Promotion $777k settled
SEC v. Scott Lindell (mismarking, 2022) SEC 2022-09-30 Mismarking — settled
SEC v. Charles Parrino (false rumors, 2022) SEC 2022-09-28 False Rumors — settled
SEC v. Matthew Nicosia, William Reninger, Fabrizio Di Carlo, and Ronald Touchard (boiler rooms, 2022) SEC 2022-09-28 Boiler Rooms , Pump And Dump — filed
SEC v. The Hydrogen Technology Corporation, Michael Ross Kane, and Tyler Ostern (paid crypto market making, 2022) SEC 2022-09-28 Paid Crypto Market Making $1.2m judgment
SEC v. Christian J. Gonzalez (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-09-27 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. James T. Patten, et al. (reverse merger schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-09-27 Reverse Merger Schemes — filed
SEC v. Kendricks, et al., Mark Wayne Ramsey (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-09-27 Insider Trading — judgment
CFTC v. California Trader and Prop Firm (spoofing, 2022) CFTC 2022-09-26 Spoofing $150k judgment
SEC v. Judith Paris-Pinder (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-09-26 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Sang N. Phan and Rich N. Phan (free riding and parking, 2022) SEC 2022-09-26 Free Riding And Parking — filed
CFTC v. Two Chinese Companies (wash trading, 2022) CFTC 2022-09-23 Wash Trading $720k judgment
SEC v. Brian Lam, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-09-23 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. James Arthur McDonald, Jr. and Hercules Investments, LLC (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-09-22 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Michael Weiss (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-09-22 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Sheng Fu and Ming Xu (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-09-21 Insider Trading $557k settled
SEC v. John P. Mendes, et al. (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-09-20 Insider Trading $51.6k settled
SEC v. Sparkster, Ltd. and Sajjad Daya (unregistered distributions, 2022) SEC 2022-09-19 Unregistered Distributions $500k settled
SEC v. Waddell & Reed, LLC (churning, 2022) SEC 2022-09-19 Churning $200k settled
SEC v. Nutra Pharma Corp. et al (unregistered distributions, 2022) SEC 2022-09-16 Unregistered Distributions — unknown
SEC v. Gabriel Edelman, Creative Advancement LLC and Edelman Blockchain Advisors LLC (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-09-15 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
CFTC v. Tae Hung Kang (ponzi schemes, 2022) CFTC 2022-09-08 Ponzi Schemes $800k judgment
SEC v. NPA Asset Management, LLC (churning, 2022) SEC 2022-09-08 Churning $300k settled
SEC v. Todd Christopher Doucette (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-09-07 Insider Trading — settled
CFTC v. Swap Dealer (mismarking, 2022) CFTC 2022-09-06 Mismarking $2.8m judgment
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (ponzi schemes, 2022) CFTC 2022-09-02 Ponzi Schemes $200k judgment
SEC v. Pavel Ruiz (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-08-30 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Harmel S. Rayat, RenovaCare, Inc., Jatinder Bhogal, Jeetenderjit Singh Sidhu, and Sharon Fleming (newsletter scalping, 2022) SEC 2022-08-29 Newsletter Scalping — unknown
CFTC v. Chicago Trader (spoofing, 2022) CFTC 2022-08-24 Spoofing $100k judgment
SEC v. Nicolas Arkells (unregistered distributions, 2022) SEC 2022-08-24 Unregistered Distributions — filed
SEC v. Lee Simmons (price manipulation, 2022) SEC 2022-08-19 EDGAR Filing Fraud , Price Manipulation +1 — filed
SEC v. Nicholas Daniel (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-08-17 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Sergei Polevikov, et al. (front running, 2022) SEC 2022-08-17 Front Running — dismissed
SEC v. Ann M. Dishinger, Jerrold I. Palmer, and Lawrence M. Palmer (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-08-16 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Rahim Mohamed, Davies ("Dave") Wong, et al. (hijacked account ramping, 2022) SEC 2022-08-15 Hijacked Account Ramping — filed
SEC v. IMC Chicago, LLC (naked short selling debate, 2022) SEC 2022-08-12 Naked Short Selling Debate $125k settled
ASIC v. Don Evans (price manipulation, 2022) ASIC 2022-08-05 Price Manipulation — unknown
CFTC v. Nevada Metals Trader (spoofing, 2022) CFTC 2022-08-05 Spoofing — filed
FCA v. Christopher Gent (insider trading, 2022) FCA 2022-08-05 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Vladimir Okhotnikov et al. (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-08-01 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Mark Klein, et al. (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-28 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Alexandra Robert, Chalala Academy LLC (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-07-27 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Amit Bhardwaj, et al. (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-26 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Seth Markin and Brandon Wong (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-26 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Todd Lahr and Thomas Megas (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-07-26 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Brijesh Goel and Akshay Niranjan (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-25 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Stephen E. Buyer, et al. (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-25 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Apostolos Trovias (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-21 Insider Trading — judgment
CFTC v. Jimmy Gale Watson (pump and dump, 2022) CFTC 2022-07-18 Pump And Dump $290k judgment
SEC v. Bruce Schoengood, Medifirst Solutions, Inc., and Joshua Tyrell (paid stock promotion, 2022) SEC 2022-07-18 Paid Stock Promotion — judgment
FCA v. Philippe Moryoussef Individual (benchmark submission rigging, 2022) FCA 2022-07-15 Benchmark Submission Rigging — filed
SEC v. John David McAfee and Jimmy Gale Watson, Jr. (newsletter scalping, 2022) SEC 2022-07-15 Newsletter Scalping — judgment
SEC v. Doron A. Tavlin, Afshin Farahan, and David J. Gantman (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-07 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. George W. Haywood (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-07 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Hugh Lee Sweeney (insider trading, 2022) SEC 2022-07-07 Insider Trading $57.9k settled
SEC v. John W. Pauciulo, Esq. (undisclosed control blocks, 2022) SEC 2022-07-07 Undisclosed Control Blocks $490k settled
SEC v. Matthew Wade Beasley, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-07-01 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Prosperity Consultants, LLC (ponzi schemes, 2022) SEC 2022-07-01 Ponzi Schemes — filed