Market Manipulation. Search

Market manipulation enforcement actions filed in 2023

This library records 202 market manipulation enforcement actions filed in 2023, 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
$1.9bn
Median penalty
$350k
Largest
$1.7bn
Criminal parallel
25%
Action Agency Filed Technique Penalty Status
SEC v. Diana Mae Fernandez (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-12-28 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. BarnBridge DAO (chat group pumps, 2023) SEC 2023-12-22 Chat Group Pumps — settled
SEC v. Tyler Ward and Troy Murray (chat group pumps, 2023) SEC 2023-12-22 Chat Group Pumps — settled
SEC v. Agridime LLC, Joshua Link, and Jed Wood (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-12-18 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Dozy Mmobuosi, et al. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-12-18 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Titanium Capital LLC and others (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-12-18 Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. Freepoint Commodities LLC (insider trading, 2023) CFTC 2023-12-14 Insider Trading $91m judgment
SEC v. Andrew M. Komarow (free riding and parking, 2023) SEC 2023-12-08 Free Riding And Parking — judgment
SEC v. Raymond J. Pirrello, Jr., et al. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-12-07 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Marc E. Wexler (price manipulation, 2023) SEC 2023-12-05 Price Manipulation , Pump And Dump — judgment
SEC v. Andrew DeFrancesco, Marlio Mauricio Diaz Cardona, Carlos Felipe Rezk, Nicola Faukovic, and Catherine DeFrancesco (pump and dump, 2023) SEC 2023-11-29 Pump And Dump $223k judgment
SEC v. Joseph M. Dupont et al. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-11-28 Insider Trading — judgment
CFTC v. Lim (paid stock promotion, 2023) CFTC 2023-11-21 Paid Stock Promotion $1.5m judgment
SEC v. unnamed respondents (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-11-21 Unregistered Distributions — filed
SEC v. Laidlaw and Company (UK) Ltd. (churning, 2023) SEC 2023-11-20 Churning $223k settled
CFTC v. Chicago-based Phillip Galles (ponzi schemes, 2023) CFTC 2023-11-15 Ponzi Schemes $20m judgment
SEC v. Matthew Melton (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-11-15 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Charter Communications, Inc. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-11-14 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. John A. Masanotti, Jr. and Middlesex Mortgage Group, LLC (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-11-09 Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. HSBC Bank USA (cash vs derivatives schemes, 2023) CFTC 2023-11-07 Cash Vs Derivatives Schemes , Insider Trading +2 $1.7bn filed
SEC v. SafeMoon LLC, SafeMoon US LLC, Kyle Nagy, Braden John Karony, Thomas Glenn Smith (wash trading, 2023) SEC 2023-11-01 Wash Trading — filed
SEC v. Joseph Conlan (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-10-30 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Bruce Schoengood, Medifirst Solutions, Inc., and Joshua Tyrell (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-10-27 Paid Stock Promotion — judgment
SEC v. BlackRock Advisors, LLC (benchmark submission rigging, 2023) SEC 2023-10-24 Benchmark Submission Rigging — settled
CFTC v. Minnesota Grain Merchandiser (price manipulation, 2023) CFTC 2023-10-23 Price Manipulation $3m judgment
SEC v. Brian Marc Rubin (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-10-17 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Matthew M. Motil, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-10-04 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Zera Financial LLC (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-10-03 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
CFTC v. Florida Man and His Company (paid stock promotion, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-29 Paid Stock Promotion — filed
SEC v. Bin Hao and Qidian LLC (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-29 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. John Feloni and Stock Squirrel, Inc. (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-29 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Maxim Group, LLC (naked short selling debate, 2023) SEC 2023-09-29 Naked Short Selling Debate — settled
SEC v. Nano-x Imaging Ltd. and Ran Poliakine (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-09-29 Paid Stock Promotion $650k judgment
CFTC v. unnamed respondents (ponzi schemes, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-28 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
CFTC v. Unregistered Pool Operator and its Owner (ponzi schemes, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-28 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Anthony Viggiano, Stephen A. Forlano, Christopher Salamone, and Nathan Bleckley (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-28 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Marco A Perez, Pedro Perez Jr., and Olivia Perez Durbin (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-28 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Michael Blumer, John Kuprianchik, David Page, Steven Thompson, Joseph Todaro (churning, 2023) SEC 2023-09-28 Churning — unknown
CFTC v. Dichao Xie (insider trading, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-27 Insider Trading $350k judgment
SEC v. Cloudastructure, Inc. (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-09-27 Paid Stock Promotion $558k settled
SEC v. Hightimes Holding Corp. (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-09-27 Paid Stock Promotion — settled
SEC v. Peixin Xu (undisclosed control blocks, 2023) SEC 2023-09-27 Undisclosed Control Blocks — settled
SEC v. Robert Del Prete (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-27 Insider Trading — judgment
CFTC v. Dallas and Los Angeles Area Precious Metals Dealers (paid stock promotion, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-26 Paid Stock Promotion — filed
CFTC v. Florida Man (ponzi schemes, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-26 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Bruderman Asset Management, LLC and Gary Goldberg Planning Services, LLC and Matthew J. Bruderman (undisclosed control blocks, 2023) SEC 2023-09-26 Undisclosed Control Blocks — settled
SEC v. Philip Verges, James D. Tilton, Jr., Robert F. Malin, Linda Malin, and others (pump and dump, 2023) SEC 2023-09-26 Pump And Dump — unknown
SEC v. William B. McHenry, Jr. and First South Investments, LLC (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-26 Ponzi Schemes , Unregistered Distributions — judgment
SEC v. Michael Caridi (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-09-25 Paid Stock Promotion — unknown
SEC v. Stephen L. Bailey, Sapphire Exploration LLC, and Harris Exploration Inc. (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-09-25 Paid Stock Promotion , Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. California Resident (wash trading, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-22 Wash Trading $300k judgment
SEC v. Citadel Securities, LLC (naked short selling debate, 2023) SEC 2023-09-22 Naked Short Selling Debate — settled
SEC v. Empirex Capital LLC and Rafael Alberto Vargas Gonzalez, a/k/a Rafael Vargas (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-22 Ponzi Schemes — unknown
SEC v. Nathalia I. Burgos, Christian A. Cuesta, Steven A. Fernandez et. al. (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-22 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Jon P. Kubler, Kubler Consulting LLC, Aksarben Evolution LLC, AV Bhill LLC, CFH Texas LLC, Green Saddle LLC (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-21 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Jonathan Becker (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-21 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Luis Ricardo Quiroz Gardea (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-21 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. MFB 111 Investment, LLC and Monise François Bien Aimé (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-19 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Tilila Walker Sumchai (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-19 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. GGToor, Inc. (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-09-18 Unregistered Distributions — settled
SEC v. Jonathan J. Ferrie (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-18 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Lyft, Inc. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-18 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Xia Hong (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-14 Insider Trading — settled
SEC v. Rand Heckler (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-13 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Stoner Cats 2, LLC (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-09-13 Unregistered Distributions — settled
SEC v. Esos Rings, Inc. and Michelle Silverstein aka Michelle Silverstein Bisnoff (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-12 Ponzi Schemes $233k judgment
SEC v. George Stubos (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-09-12 Paid Stock Promotion — judgment
SEC v. Virtu Financial Inc. and Virtu Americas LLC (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-12 Insider Trading — filed
SEC v. Mortgage Industry Advisory Corporation (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-09-11 Insider Trading $100k settled
SEC v. Simplex Trading, LLC (naked short selling debate, 2023) SEC 2023-09-11 Naked Short Selling Debate — settled
SEC v. Mina Tadrus, et al. (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-09-08 Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. Texas Firm and Head Trader (spoofing, 2023) CFTC 2023-09-07 Spoofing — filed
SEC v. Linus Financial, Inc. (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-09-07 Unregistered Distributions — settled
SEC v. Brady Jack Speers, Chatree Thiranon, and GHAP, LLC d/b/a Blue Star Texas (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-08-31 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. William V. Conn, Jr. (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-08-31 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Archipelago Trading Services, Inc. (layering, 2023) SEC 2023-08-29 Layering , Spoofing +1 — settled
SEC v. Deyonte Jahtori Anthony (free riding and parking, 2023) SEC 2023-08-28 Free Riding And Parking — settled
SEC v. Impact Theory, LLC (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-08-28 Unregistered Distributions $500k settled
SEC v. Romero Cabral da Costa Neto (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-08-24 Insider Trading — unknown
CFTC v. Texas Man and His Company (ponzi schemes, 2023) CFTC 2023-08-23 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Daniel V.T. Catenacci (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-08-21 Insider Trading $50k judgment
SEC v. Carla Lea Chastain (churning, 2023) SEC 2023-08-18 Churning — settled
SEC v. Chad Stickforth (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-08-08 Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Charles Rustin Holzer, Maglione International Ltd., Frontenac Investments Ltd. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-08-07 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Justin Sun, Tron Foundation Limited, BitTorrent Foundation Ltd., Rainberry, Inc., Austin Mahone, and Deandre Cortez Way (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-08-07 Paid Stock Promotion , Wash Trading — judgment
SEC v. Jose D. Rocha (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-08-03 Ponzi Schemes — settled
SEC v. Janardhan Nellore, et al. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-08-02 Insider Trading — judgment
SEC v. Mina Tadrus and Tadrus Capital LLC (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-08-02 Ponzi Schemes — filed
CFTC v. UK Trader (spoofing, 2023) CFTC 2023-08-01 Spoofing $150k judgment
SEC v. Moshe aka "Mark" Feuer, Scott A. Taylor (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-07-31 Unregistered Distributions — settled
SEC v. Murray A. Huberfeld (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-07-31 Unregistered Distributions — settled
SEC v. Brent Seaman, Accanito Holdings, LLC, and others (paid stock promotion, 2023) SEC 2023-07-28 Paid Stock Promotion , Ponzi Schemes — judgment
SEC v. Joseph C. Lewis, et al. (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-07-26 Insider Trading — filed
CFTC v. Tennessee Husband and Wife Realtors (ponzi schemes, 2023) CFTC 2023-07-25 Ponzi Schemes — filed
SEC v. Amit Dagar and Atul Bhiwapurkar (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-07-25 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Brandon Charnas (insider trading, 2023) SEC 2023-07-25 Insider Trading — unknown
SEC v. Quantstamp, Inc. (unregistered distributions, 2023) SEC 2023-07-21 Unregistered Distributions $1m settled
SEC v. Eric J. "EJ" Dalius et al. (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-07-20 Ponzi Schemes $112k judgment
SEC v. Monroe Capital Management Advisors, LLC (undisclosed control blocks, 2023) SEC 2023-07-20 Undisclosed Control Blocks — settled
SEC v. Robert D. Christensen, Anthony M. Matic, Foresee, Inc., The Commission PDX, LLC, The Policy PDX, Innings 150 (ponzi schemes, 2023) SEC 2023-07-20 Ponzi Schemes $200k judgment