Corporate officers and directors sometimes view having a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan as an impenetrable barrier to facing insider-trading charges. But a recent case announced by the SEC demonstrates that such plans are not bulletproof.[1] If an executive
Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement
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Florida District Court Permits the SEC to Pay Disgorgement to the US Treasury Where Victims of the Fraud Could not be Identified
Recently, in SEC v. Spartan Securities Group, Ltd, et al.[1], a Florida federal court held that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) could seek disgorgement and direct funds to the Treasury because the defrauded victims could not be…
SEC Expands and Renames Cyber Unit to “Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit”
On May 3, the SEC announced that the Cyber Unit in the Division of Enforcement is renamed the “Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit” and will expand by 20 positions to approximately 50 positions.[1] Regulation of digital assets has…
The PCAOB Brings First Failure-To-Supervise Case
On April 5, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board levied a $100,000 fine against Scott Marcello, the former Vice Chair of Audit at KPMG. The penalty is noteworthy for two reasons: (1) it’s the largest monetary penalty ever levied by…
SEC Settles Municipal Bond Fraud Case Against Texas School District and Former CFO, and Suspends External Auditor
On March 16, the SEC filed a municipal bond fraud case against Crosby Independent School District and its former CFO in a $20 million bond offering.[1] Crosby is a suburb of Houston, Texas. The SEC also charged the…
SEC Complaint Upheld in Rare – But Not Unprecedented – Shadow Trading Case
There has been lots of breathless commentary in the financial press and the blogosphere over the SEC’s August 2021 filing of an insider-trading case involving so-called “shadow trading.” Shadow trading as defined in a 2020 academic paper occurs when someone…
SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office Investigating Underwriter Disclosures on Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues
It’s not a secret that, under the Biden administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission has prioritized enforcement of disclosures concerning Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues (ESG), going so far as to form an enforcement task force to examine misconduct related…
SEC and DOJ Bring Parallel Civil and Criminal Charges Against Five Russians for $82 Million Hack-And-Trade Scheme
SEC Charges Case Featuring Alleged Wash Sales Involving Options of “Meme Stocks”
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission recently charged two individuals— Florida residents, Suyun Gu, and his friend, Yong Lee—for their involvement in allegedly fraudulent wash sales involving out-of-the-money options in “meme stocks.” So-called “meme stocks” [1] are stocks that…