Market Manipulation. Search

Longest sentences in market manipulation cases

The longest custodial sentences recorded in this library. Criminal sentences in manipulation cases are far less common than civil penalties, and they concentrate in schemes with identifiable individual victims rather than in order-book conduct.

Sentences are recorded where the regulator’s release states one. Because this library’s coverage of Department of Justice announcements is partial, this list is a floor rather than a complete ranking.

Amounts are as stated in the regulator's release, in nominal US dollars, and are not adjusted for inflation. Amounts ordered are not amounts collected. Actions denominated in other currencies are excluded rather than converted.

Longest sentences in market manipulation cases — top 50
#ActionAgencyFiledSentencePenalty
1 CFTC v. Keith F. Simmons (ponzi schemes, 2015)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2015-08-01 40 years —
2 SEC v. Jeffrey K. Skilling et al. (insider trading, 2015)
Insider Trading
SEC 2015-12-08 24y 4m —
3 SEC v. Kevin B. Merrill, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2019)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2019-11-25 22 years —
4 CFTC v. Ronnie Gene Wilson (ponzi schemes, 2013)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2013-03-01 19y 7m $23m
5 CFTC v. UBS (benchmark submission rigging, 2013)
Benchmark Submission Rigging , Ponzi Schemes , Spoofing , Wash Trading
CFTC 2013-10-25 19y 7m $1.5m
6 CFTC v. Rudy Avila (ponzi schemes, 2024)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2024-09-25 17y 6m $1.5m
7 SEC v. James E. Hocker (ponzi schemes, 2019)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2019-06-04 17 years —
8 CFTC v. Glen Galemmo (ponzi schemes, 2021)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2021-08-27 15y 8m —
9 SEC v. Steven Pagartanis (ponzi schemes, 2021)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2021-10-07 14y 2m —
10 SEC v. Titanium Capital LLC and Henry Abdo (ponzi schemes, 2026)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2026-03-30 14 years —
11 SEC v. Edward Lee Moody, Jr. (ponzi schemes, 2019)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2019-06-21 13 years —
12 SEC v. Garfield Taylor, Inc., et al. (ponzi schemes, 2015)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2015-10-08 13 years $150k
13 CFTC v. Watson (ponzi schemes, 2015)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2015-10-21 12 years $27m
14 SEC v. Brian Raymond Callahan et al. (ponzi schemes, 2023)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2023-05-17 12 years —
15 SEC v. Robert Grabowski (boiler rooms, 2016)
Boiler Rooms
SEC 2016-04-22 12 years —
16 SEC v. Malcolm Segal (ponzi schemes, 2016)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2016-06-24 10y 6m —
17 CFTC v. Cipolla (ponzi schemes, 2021)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2021-05-14 10y 1m $5m
18 SEC v. Keith Houlihan (boiler rooms, 2018)
Boiler Rooms
SEC 2018-05-09 9y 3m —
19 SEC v. CR Intrinsic Investors, et al. (insider trading, 2021)
Insider Trading
SEC 2021-02-03 9 years —
20 SEC v. Scott Newsholme (ponzi schemes, 2019)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2019-04-05 8y 6m —
21 SEC v. Allen C. Giltman (spoofing, 2025)
Spoofing
SEC 2025-09-12 7y 3m —
22 CFTC v. Abner Alejandro Tinoco (ponzi schemes, 2024)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2024-07-26 7 years $18.8m
23 SEC v. ClearPath Wealth Management, LLC and Patrick Churchville (ponzi schemes, 2024)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2024-04-03 7 years —
24 SEC v. Patrick Churchville, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2022)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2022-06-09 7 years $225k
25 CFTC v. Defendants Ward Onsa (ponzi schemes, 2014)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2014-04-01 6y 6m $5.7m
26 CFTC v. Naples (ponzi schemes, 2016)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2016-07-06 6y 6m $7.5m
27 SEC v. Todd Lahr and Thomas Megas (ponzi schemes, 2022)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2022-07-26 6y 6m —
28 SEC v. Murakami, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2018)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2018-08-06 6 years —
29 SEC v. Cheryl L. Jones (ponzi schemes, 2017)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2017-07-03 5y 10m —
30 SEC v. Mark A. Jones (ponzi schemes, 2017)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2017-05-25 5y 10m $160k
31 SEC v. Jehu Hand, et al. (pump and dump, 2019)
Pump And Dump
SEC 2019-08-16 5y 6m —
32 SEC v. Steven Fitzgerald Brown (ponzi schemes, 2021)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2021-08-31 4y 3m —
33 CFTC v. unnamed respondents (ponzi schemes, 2022)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2022-03-22 4 years $150k
34 SEC v. Richard Weed et al. (pump and dump, 2016)
Pump And Dump , Reverse Merger Schemes
SEC 2016-10-04 4 years —
35 SEC v. Richard Weed et al. (reverse merger schemes, 2018)
Reverse Merger Schemes
SEC 2018-06-26 4 years $150k
36 SEC v. Steven Metro (insider trading, 2016)
Insider Trading
SEC 2016-09-14 3y 10m —
37 SEC v. William J. Wells and Promitor Capital Management LLC (ponzi schemes, 2017)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2017-05-25 3y 10m —
38 SEC v. James T. Booth (ponzi schemes, 2021)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2021-02-22 3y 6m —
39 CFTC v. Mark N. Pyatt (ponzi schemes, 2020)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2020-12-22 3y 1m $255k
40 SEC v. Zachary Zwerko and David L. Post (insider trading, 2016)
Insider Trading
SEC 2016-03-01 3y 1m —
41 CFTC v. unnamed respondents (ponzi schemes, 2013)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2013-04-24 3 years $1.5m
42 SEC v. Jehu Hand and Antonio Katz (paid stock promotion, 2018)
Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump
SEC 2018-09-28 3 years —
43 SEC v. No Respondents (insider trading, 2023)
Insider Trading
SEC 2023-04-18 3 years —
44 SEC v. Vladimir Eydelman and Steven Metro (insider trading, 2016)
Insider Trading
SEC 2016-09-30 3 years $1.2m
45 SEC v. Mark Loman (insider trading, 2022)
Insider Trading
SEC 2022-04-14 2y 11m —
46 SEC v. Frank Perkins Hixon, Jr., et al. (insider trading, 2015)
Insider Trading
SEC 2015-04-28 2y 6m —
47 SEC v. Tomer Feingold and Dov Malnik (insider trading, 2021)
Insider Trading
SEC 2021-11-23 2y 6m —
48 CFTC v. Kevin Cassidy (mismarking, 2013)
Mismarking
CFTC 2013-05-30 2y 6m $1m
49 SEC v. Adrian J. Kawuba (ponzi schemes, 2024)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2024-07-01 2y 3m —
50 SEC v. Robert Gadimian (insider trading, 2018)
Insider Trading
SEC 2018-07-26 2y 3m —

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