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. Brenda Smith, et al. (paid stock promotion, 2022)
Paid Stock Promotion
SEC 2022-05-11 9y 1m
20 SEC v. CR Intrinsic Investors, et al. (insider trading, 2021)
Insider Trading
SEC 2021-02-03 9 years
21 SEC v. Scott Newsholme (ponzi schemes, 2019)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2019-04-05 8y 6m
22 SEC v. Allen C. Giltman (spoofing, 2025)
Spoofing
SEC 2025-09-12 7y 3m
23 CFTC v. Abner Alejandro Tinoco (ponzi schemes, 2024)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2024-07-26 7 years $18.8m
24 SEC v. ClearPath Wealth Management, LLC and Patrick Churchville (ponzi schemes, 2024)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2024-04-03 7 years
25 SEC v. Patrick Churchville, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2022)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2022-06-09 7 years $225k
26 CFTC v. Defendants Ward Onsa (ponzi schemes, 2014)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2014-04-01 6y 6m $5.7m
27 CFTC v. Naples (ponzi schemes, 2016)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2016-07-06 6y 6m $7.5m
28 SEC v. Todd Lahr and Thomas Megas (ponzi schemes, 2022)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2022-07-26 6y 6m
29 SEC v. Murakami, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2018)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2018-08-06 6 years
30 SEC v. Cheryl L. Jones (ponzi schemes, 2017)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2017-07-03 5y 10m
31 SEC v. Mark A. Jones (ponzi schemes, 2017)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2017-05-25 5y 10m $160k
32 SEC v. Jehu Hand, et al. (pump and dump, 2019)
Pump And Dump
SEC 2019-08-16 5y 6m
33 SEC v. Joshua David Nicholas, et al. (paid stock promotion, 2023)
Paid Stock Promotion
SEC 2023-05-12 4y 3m
34 SEC v. Steven Fitzgerald Brown (ponzi schemes, 2021)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2021-08-31 4y 3m
35 CFTC v. unnamed respondents (ponzi schemes, 2022)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2022-03-22 4 years $150k
36 SEC v. Richard Weed et al. (paid stock promotion, 2016)
Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump , Reverse Merger Schemes
SEC 2016-10-04 4 years
37 SEC v. Richard Weed et al. (paid stock promotion, 2018)
Paid Stock Promotion , Reverse Merger Schemes
SEC 2018-06-26 4 years $150k
38 SEC v. Steven Metro (insider trading, 2016)
Insider Trading
SEC 2016-09-14 3y 10m
39 SEC v. William J. Wells and Promitor Capital Management LLC (ponzi schemes, 2017)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2017-05-25 3y 10m
40 SEC v. James T. Booth (ponzi schemes, 2021)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2021-02-22 3y 6m
41 CFTC v. Mark N. Pyatt (ponzi schemes, 2020)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2020-12-22 3y 1m $255k
42 SEC v. Zachary Zwerko and David L. Post (insider trading, 2016)
Insider Trading
SEC 2016-03-01 3y 1m
43 CFTC v. unnamed respondents (ponzi schemes, 2013)
Ponzi Schemes
CFTC 2013-04-24 3 years $1.5m
44 SEC v. Jehu Hand and Antonio Katz (paid stock promotion, 2018)
Paid Stock Promotion , Pump And Dump
SEC 2018-09-28 3 years
45 SEC v. No Respondents (insider trading, 2023)
Insider Trading
SEC 2023-04-18 3 years
46 SEC v. Vladimir Eydelman and Steven Metro (insider trading, 2016)
Insider Trading
SEC 2016-09-30 3 years $1.2m
47 SEC v. Mark Loman (insider trading, 2022)
Insider Trading
SEC 2022-04-14 2y 11m
48 SEC v. Frank Perkins Hixon, Jr., et al. (insider trading, 2015)
Insider Trading
SEC 2015-04-28 2y 6m
49 SEC v. Tomer Feingold and Dov Malnik (insider trading, 2021)
Insider Trading
SEC 2021-11-23 2y 6m
50 SEC v. Adrian J. Kawuba (ponzi schemes, 2024)
Ponzi Schemes
SEC 2024-07-01 2y 3m

Other rankings: largest penalties · largest spoofing penalties · longest sentences · most-charged individuals · biggest crypto cases · most active courts