SEC v. Ahmad Haris Tajyar and Eric Leo Marsoubian (marking the close, 2021)

Settled

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In 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission settled an action with Ahmad Haris Tajyar and Eric Leo Marsoubian, alleging conduct this library classifies as marking the close, matched orders and wash trading. The release records a civil penalty of $219,604, disgorgement of $15,267.

The record

What was ordered

Civil penalty

$220k

Disgorgement

$15.3k

Prejudgment interest

—

Total relief

$235k

Alleged gain

—

A dash means the release did not state a figure we could extract, not that the figure is zero. Penalty and disgorgement are stored separately so aggregates across the library do not double-count the same dollars.

What is alleged to have happened

the Securities and Exchange Commission announced this matter on August 13, 2021 as release LR-25167. The respondents named are Ahmad Haris Tajyar and Eric Leo Marsoubian (2 individuals, 0 entities). The action was brought in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California.

This library tags the matter as marking the close, matched orders and wash trading, based on the conduct the regulator describes. Each tag links to a page explaining how that technique works, what statute it engages, and what penalties comparable actions have attracted. The tagging is ours, not the regulator's: agencies charge statutory provisions, not technique names.

The conduct is recorded against equities.

The relief recorded in our data is a civil monetary penalty of $219,604, disgorgement of $15,267. Penalty and disgorgement are distinct: disgorgement returns the gain, while the penalty is punitive. We store them separately so that aggregate figures across the library are not double-counted.

Non-monetary relief recorded: penny stock bar.

For the regulator's own account of the facts, read the primary document linked above. This page deliberately summarises the structured record rather than reproducing the release.

What technique is this, and how does it work?

This action is tagged with 3 techniques in our taxonomy. The tagging is ours: regulators charge statutory provisions, not technique names, so the mapping is an editorial judgement described in our editorial policy.

• Marking the close — see how it works, what statute it engages, and every other action tagged the same way.
• Matched orders — see how it works, what statute it engages, and every other action tagged the same way.
• Wash trading — see how it works, what statute it engages, and every other action tagged the same way.

Timeline

1. 2021-08-13 Litigation release published

Primary documents

Everything on this page derives from the documents below. Where our summary and the primary document disagree, the primary document is right.

• SEC litigation release

The linked release is a work of the United States government and is not subject to copyright. Our summary and narrative above are our own writing.

Related actions

Other actions in the library sharing at least one technique tag with this one.

Record added September 10, 2026. submit a correction.