Market Manipulation. Search

Market manipulation enforcement actions filed in 2017

This library records 210 market manipulation enforcement actions filed in 2017, brought by CFTC, SEC.

Counts by year reflect when an action was filed or announced, not when the underlying conduct occurred — those are often years apart. Compare across years with care: a single multi-defendant sweep can dominate a year's count.

Actions
100
Total penalties
$57.2m
Median penalty
$156k
Largest
$26.4m
Criminal parallel
30%
Action Agency Filed Technique Penalty Status
SEC v. Robert H. Shapiro, Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-12-21 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Stephen C. Peters, VisionQuest Wealth Management, LLC, VisionQuest Capital, LLC, and VQ Wealth, LLC (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-12-21 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Ronald A. Fossum, Jr. and Alonzo R. Cahoon (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-12-20 Unregistered Distributions filed
SEC v. Jason A. Wallace (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-12-18 Boiler Rooms judgment
SEC v. Kenneth Peer (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-12-14 Insider Trading $10.2k settled
SEC v. Lanny Brown, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-12-14 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Stephen J. Leonard (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-12-07 Insider Trading $107k judgment
SEC v. Palladino and James M. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-11-29 Paid Stock Promotion unknown
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-11-22 Spoofing , Wash Trading unknown
SEC v. Capital Financial Partners, LLC et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-11-17 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Nathan Whitney Drage, Esq. (reverse merger schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-11-17 Reverse Merger Schemes unknown
SEC v. Pedro Fort Berbel et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-11-16 Ponzi Schemes filed
CFTC v. INTL FCStone Financial Inc. and FCStone Merchant Services LLC (wash trading, 2017) CFTC 2017-11-14 Wash Trading $280k judgment
CFTC v. Statoil ASA (price manipulation, 2017) CFTC 2017-11-14 Price Manipulation , Settlement Price Manipulation $4m judgment
SEC v. Susan L. Ellerin and Edward D. Blumstein (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-11-14 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. The End of the Rainbow Partners, L.L.C., and others (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-11-14 Ponzi Schemes unknown
SEC v. Ferrone and Stephen D. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-11-08 Paid Stock Promotion $120k judgment
SEC v. James P. Kolf (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-11-03 Ponzi Schemes settled
SEC v. Joseph Meli, et al. and Craig H. Carton, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-10-31 Ponzi Schemes unknown
SEC v. Andalusian Resorts and others (fake press releases, 2017) SEC 2017-10-30 Fake Press Releases , Paid Stock Promotion +2 filed
SEC v. Artemus Mayor (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-10-26 Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump settled
SEC v. Canterbury Consulting, Inc. (churning, 2017) SEC 2017-10-26 Churning settled
SEC v. Harold J. Swart, Jr. (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-10-26 Undisclosed Control Blocks judgment
SEC v. J. Patrick O'Neill and Robert H. Bray (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-10-25 Insider Trading appealed
SEC v. Mayank Gupta, CPA (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-10-19 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. James M. Schneider (pump and dump, 2017) SEC 2017-10-11 Pump And Dump , Reverse Merger Schemes filed
CFTC v. Arab Global Commodities DMCC (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-10-10 Spoofing $300k judgment
SEC v. Marc A. Celello (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-10-06 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Homero Joshua Garza (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-10-04 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Arun J. Singh (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-10-03 Insider Trading $25k judgment
SEC v. Jammin' Java Corp. et al. (pump and dump, 2017) SEC 2017-10-03 Pump And Dump $26.4m appealed
SEC v. Martin T. Cantu (fake press releases, 2017) SEC 2017-10-02 Fake Press Releases , Pump And Dump unknown
CFTC v. California Residents Hasan Sarwar a/k/a Alexander Sarwar (ponzi schemes, 2017) CFTC 2017-09-30 Ponzi Schemes filed
CFTC v. Logista Advisors LLC (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-09-30 Spoofing $250k judgment
CFTC v. Connecticut-Based Tillage Commodities (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-09-29 Spoofing $150k judgment
SEC v. Avaneesh Krishnamoorthy (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-29 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Jason McDiarmid, et al. (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-09-29 Boiler Rooms , Pump And Dump unknown
SEC v. Micheal A. Skerry (newsletter scalping, 2017) SEC 2017-09-29 Newsletter Scalping , Paid Stock Promotion +1 $100k judgment
SEC v. David Howard Welch, et al (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-09-28 Boiler Rooms settled
SEC v. Fengjiu Zhang and Xianli Kong (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-28 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Laurence M. Torres (churning, 2017) SEC 2017-09-28 Churning settled
SEC v. Naris Chamroonrat, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-09-28 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Sean Stewart et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-28 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Success Holding Group International, Inc. (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-09-28 Unregistered Distributions $100k settled
SEC v. Jason Napodano, Bilal Basrai and Bryce Stirton (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-26 Insider Trading $240k settled
SEC v. LBMZ Securities, Inc. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-26 Insider Trading settled
CFTC v. Nicholas Gelfman and Gelfman Blueprint (ponzi schemes, 2017) CFTC 2017-09-22 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Moses Investment Company, LLC and Michael S. Moses (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-09-22 Paid Stock Promotion filed
SEC v. Joel P. Zingerman (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-21 Insider Trading $56.6k settled
SEC v. Justin Samuel Cary (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-21 Insider Trading filed
SEC v. Peter C. Chang (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-20 Insider Trading filed
SEC v. Francisco Illarramendi, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-09-19 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Lawrence F. Cluff, Jr., Roger E. Shaoul, and James Shaoul (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-13 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Mayank Gupta, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-13 Insider Trading $23.8k settled
SEC v. Potomac Asset Management Company, Inc. and Goodloe E. Byron, Jr. (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-09-11 Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. Brett Kennedy, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-07 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Craig H. Carton, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-09-06 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Scott Newsholme (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-09-06 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Alan M. Stark, Esq. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-09-05 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Richard P. Cedrone, Steven R. Ferris and George R. Thoreson (marking the close, 2017) SEC 2017-09-05 Marking The Close $75k judgment
SEC v. Evan R. Kita, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-08-31 Insider Trading filed
SEC v. Tennstar Energy, Inc., et al. (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-08-30 Boiler Rooms filed
SEC v. Lek Securities Corp. et al. (layering, 2017) SEC 2017-08-29 Layering , Undisclosed Control Blocks unknown
SEC v. Dawn J. Bennett and DJB Holdings LLC (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-08-28 Paid Stock Promotion , Ponzi Schemes filed
CFTC v. South Carolina Resident Thomas Lanzana (ponzi schemes, 2017) CFTC 2017-08-25 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Caledonian Bank Ltd., et al. (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-08-25 Unregistered Distributions $19.2m judgment
SEC v. Jack Sini (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-08-23 Boiler Rooms filed
SEC v. Jason Hershberger (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-08-23 Boiler Rooms filed
SEC v. Juan M. Perez Ortega (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-08-23 Boiler Rooms filed
SEC v. Martin Miller (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-08-23 Boiler Rooms filed
SEC v. Shawna Leigh Lynch (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-08-23 Boiler Rooms unknown
SEC v. Allen Chi (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-08-21 Undisclosed Control Blocks judgment
SEC v. Deerfield Management Company, L.P. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-08-21 Insider Trading $3.9m settled
SEC v. Banca IMI Securities Corp. (naked short selling debate, 2017) SEC 2017-08-18 Naked Short Selling Debate settled
CFTC v. Aruba-based Copersucar Trading A.V.V. (wash trading, 2017) CFTC 2017-08-16 Wash Trading $300k judgment
SEC v. Daniel Rivas, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-08-16 Insider Trading unknown
SEC v. Robert Cortez Marshall (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-08-16 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. KPMG LLP and John Riordan, CPA (reverse merger schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-08-15 Reverse Merger Schemes settled
SEC v. Damon Hovannisian, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-08-11 Insider Trading $156k judgment
SEC v. Smith, et al. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-08-11 Paid Stock Promotion judgment
SEC v. Louis Martin Blazer III (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-08-10 Ponzi Schemes judgment
CFTC v. The Bank (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-08-08 Spoofing $600k judgment
SEC v. David Blaszczak, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-08-08 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Steven V. McClatchey and Gary J. Pusey (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-08-08 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Joe Yiu Cheung ( and Dylon De Lu Zhang) (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-08-02 Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump +2 settled
SEC v. Jeffrey D. Martin, et al. (custodianship shell hijacking, 2017) SEC 2017-08-01 Custodianship Shell Hijacking , Paid Stock Promotion +1 judgment
SEC v. Karen F. Aalders (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-07-31 Paid Stock Promotion judgment
SEC v. Sterling Craig Barton (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-07-31 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Harold L. Altvater (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-07-28 Insider Trading unknown
SEC v. Windsor Street Capital, L.P. ( and others (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-07-28 Unregistered Distributions settled
CFTC v. New York Trader Simon Posen (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-07-27 Spoofing $635k judgment
SEC v. Carrillo and Luis J. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-07-26 Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump +1 judgment
SEC v. Huettel and Wade D., Esq. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-07-26 Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump +1 judgment
SEC v. Joey Stanton Dodson (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-07-26 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Joey Giamichael and Umbrella Research, LLC (newsletter scalping, 2017) SEC 2017-07-25 Newsletter Scalping , Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Andrew Farmer, et al. (pump and dump, 2017) SEC 2017-07-24 Pump And Dump judgment
SEC v. Lubin and David (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-07-19 Unregistered Distributions judgment
SEC v. Troy Joseph Flowers, et al. (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-07-19 Undisclosed Control Blocks filed
SEC v. John F. Stimpson (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-07-18 Insider Trading $136k settled
SEC v. Ashley Antos, Defendants, and Antos, Inc. (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-07-12 Boiler Rooms unknown