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
$99m
Median penalty
$130k
Largest
$85m
Criminal parallel
29%
Action Agency Filed Technique Penalty Status
SEC v. Victory Ho (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-07-12 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Wanger and Eric David Wanger Investment Management, Inc. (marking the close, 2017) SEC 2017-07-10 Marking The Close $75k dismissed
SEC v. Steve G. Blasko (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-07-07 Boiler Rooms , Unregistered Distributions filed
SEC v. Cheryl L. Jones (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-07-03 Ponzi Schemes filed
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-06-30 Spoofing $350k judgment
CFTC v. Rosenthal Collins Capital Markets LLC (wash trading, 2017) CFTC 2017-06-30 Wash Trading $5m judgment
SEC v. Sasan Sabrdaran and Farhang Afsarpour (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-06-30 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Andrew S. Keck (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-06-29 Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. Christopher A. Conley (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-06-29 Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. Marilyn Stark (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-06-29 Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. Matthew L. Egna (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-06-29 Undisclosed Control Blocks $10k settled
SEC v. Nigel G. Lindsay (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-06-29 Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. Sarah E. Keck (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-06-29 Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. Diana P. Lovera (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-06-28 Boiler Rooms judgment
SEC v. Harold L. Altvater, Maureen E. Curran, Susan L. Dubuc (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-06-27 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Wm Smith & Co. and William S. Smith (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-06-26 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. James M. Farinella, et al. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-06-21 Paid Stock Promotion filed
SEC v. Yu-Cheng Lin (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-06-19 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Edwin Yoshihiro Fujinaga and MRI International, Inc., et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-06-15 Ponzi Schemes appealed
SEC v. Jehu Hand and Antonio Katz (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-06-15 Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump filed
SEC v. Dan (“Alice”) Zhang, CPA (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-06-07 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Michael Trahan (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-06-07 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Homero Joshua Garza, GAW Miners, LLC, and ZenMiner, LLC (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-06-05 Ponzi Schemes judgment
CFTC v. David Liew (price manipulation, 2017) CFTC 2017-06-03 Price Manipulation , Spoofing judgment
SEC v. Adesh Kumar Tyagi (marking the close, 2017) SEC 2017-06-01 Marking The Close unknown
SEC v. Harrison Katzen (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-05-31 Boiler Rooms judgment
SEC v. Mark A. Jones (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-05-25 Ponzi Schemes $160k judgment
SEC v. William J. Wells and Promitor Capital Management LLC (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-05-25 Ponzi Schemes settled
SEC v. Francisco Illarramendi, Highview Point Partners, LLC and others (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-05-24 Ponzi Schemes $1m judgment
SEC v. Imran Husain, et al. (shell factories, 2017) SEC 2017-05-24 Shell Factories , Undisclosed Control Blocks filed
SEC v. Murakami, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-05-22 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Robert W. Murray (price manipulation, 2017) SEC 2017-05-19 Price Manipulation unknown
SEC v. Emerald Isle Exploration, Ltd. and Samuell Eads and Lloyd C. Brewer (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-05-12 Insider Trading , Undisclosed Control Blocks $10k settled
SEC v. Chamroonrat, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-05-11 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Walter C. Little and Andrew M. Berke (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-05-11 Insider Trading filed
SEC v. Andrew T.E. Coldicutt, et al. (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-05-05 Unregistered Distributions unknown
SEC v. William R. Schantz III and Verto Capital Management LLC (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-05-04 Ponzi Schemes settled
SEC v. David Michael Burke (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-05-02 Unregistered Distributions settled
SEC v. Mark J. Varacchi, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-05-01 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Wensheng Lin and Sheng Li Chen (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-05-01 Paid Stock Promotion filed
SEC v. Demitrios Hallas (churning, 2017) SEC 2017-04-26 Churning filed
SEC v. Wilson-Davis & Company, Inc. (naked short selling debate, 2017) SEC 2017-04-26 Naked Short Selling Debate $75k settled
SEC v. Kent P. Watts, et al. (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-04-21 Unregistered Distributions filed
SEC v. Justin D. Meadlin and Hyaline Capital Management, LLC (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-17 Paid Stock Promotion filed
SEC v. Christopher R. Esposito, et al. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-14 Paid Stock Promotion $775k judgment
SEC v. Mustafa David Sayid (pump and dump, 2017) SEC 2017-04-13 Pump And Dump filed
SEC v. Ryan Gilbertson, et al. (reverse merger schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-04-13 Reverse Merger Schemes judgment
SEC v. Lidingo Holdings, LLC, et al., CSIR Group, LLC, et al. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-12 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Christopher French (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Ciaran Thornton (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Craig Keolanui (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Edward Borrelli and Dunedin, Inc. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Galena Biopharma, Inc. and Mark J. Ahn (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion , Unregistered Distributions settled
SEC v. ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Joel Corenman (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Lion Biotechnologies, Inc. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Michael A. McCarthy (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion settled
SEC v. Stephen Ramey (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-04-10 Paid Stock Promotion $24k settled
SEC v. Lawrence F. Cluff, Jr. and Roger E. Shaoul (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-04-06 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Vlad B. Spivak, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-04-03 Insider Trading judgment
CFTC v. Former Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Traders Stephen Gola and Jonathan Brims (cash vs derivatives schemes, 2017) CFTC 2017-03-31 Cash Vs Derivatives Schemes , Spoofing $350k judgment
SEC v. Alison, LLC Alison and Stephen D. (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-03-29 Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. LottoNet Operating Corp., et al. (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-03-27 Boiler Rooms filed
SEC v. Ariel Darvasi and Amir Waldman (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-24 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Nino Coppero del Valle et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-24 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Quigley and William (churning, 2017) SEC 2017-03-24 Churning settled
SEC v. Christopher Ludwig (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-23 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Rose and Sheldon MKJJ Consulting LLC (reverse merger schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-03-23 Reverse Merger Schemes , Undisclosed Control Blocks settled
SEC v. Steven A. Hartung (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-23 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Michael J. Maciocio and David P. Hobson (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-20 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Patrick Churchville, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-03-17 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Todd David Alpert (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-15 Insider Trading filed
SEC v. Nima Hedayati (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-14 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Lek Securities Corporation, et al. (layering, 2017) SEC 2017-03-10 Layering unknown
SEC v. Notis Global, Inc. (f/k/a Medbox, Inc.), et al. (paid stock promotion, 2017) SEC 2017-03-09 Paid Stock Promotion $6m judgment
SEC v. Arcturus Corporation, et al. (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-03-03 Unregistered Distributions judgment
SEC v. Thomas D. Melvin, Jr., et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-03-03 Insider Trading filed
SEC v. One or More Unknown Traders in the Securities of Fortress Investment Group, LLC (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-02-28 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. FX & Beyond Corporation et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-02-21 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Patrick O. Howard, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-02-16 Ponzi Schemes unknown
CFTC v. Carlos Javier Ramirez and His Companies (ponzi schemes, 2017) CFTC 2017-02-15 Ponzi Schemes filed
SEC v. Sidoti & Company, LLC (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-02-13 Insider Trading settled
SEC v. Yu-Cheng Lin (a.k.a. Believe Lin) (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-02-13 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Alan Barry Staples (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-02-10 Insider Trading $15.2k judgment
SEC v. Shaohua (Michael) Yin, et al. (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-02-10 Insider Trading judgment
SEC v. Raymond H. Barton (fake press releases, 2017) SEC 2017-02-09 Fake Press Releases judgment
SEC v. William G. Goode (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-02-09 Unregistered Distributions judgment
SEC v. Oxford City Football Club, Inc. (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-02-08 Boiler Rooms judgment
SEC v. Oxford City Football Club, Inc., et al. (boiler rooms, 2017) SEC 2017-02-08 Boiler Rooms judgment
SEC v. Michael Affa, et al. (pump and dump, 2017) SEC 2017-02-07 Pump And Dump judgment
SEC v. Olde Monmouth Stock Transfer Co., Inc. and Matthew J. Troster (reverse merger schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-02-07 Reverse Merger Schemes , Unregistered Distributions $100k judgment
CFTC v. The Royal Bank of Scotland (benchmark submission rigging, 2017) CFTC 2017-02-04 Benchmark Submission Rigging , Price Manipulation $85m judgment
SEC v. Varacchi, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-02-02 Ponzi Schemes filed
CFTC v. Florida Residents Anthony J. Klatch II and Lindsey Heim (ponzi schemes, 2017) CFTC 2017-01-27 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Herman Ronnie Young, Jr. d/b/a Race Cycler (ponzi schemes, 2017) SEC 2017-01-27 Ponzi Schemes judgment
SEC v. Black and Hans Peter Interinvest Corporation, Inc. (undisclosed control blocks, 2017) SEC 2017-01-24 Undisclosed Control Blocks judgment
SEC v. Donald P. Jones, CPA (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-01-23 Insider Trading $39.1k settled
SEC v. George N. Krinos (unregistered distributions, 2017) SEC 2017-01-23 Unregistered Distributions filed
SEC v. Shelly R. McGuire, CPA (insider trading, 2017) SEC 2017-01-23 Insider Trading settled
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (spoofing, 2017) CFTC 2017-01-19 Spoofing unknown