The CFTC Division of Enforcement investigates and prosecutes alleged violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations. The CFTC takes enforcement actions against individuals and firms registered with the Commission, those who are engaged in commodity futures and option trading on designated domestic exchanges, and those who improperly market futures and options contracts.
August 12, 2009
Amaranth Entities Ordered to Pay a $7.5 Million Civil Fine in CFTC Action Alleging Attempted Manipulation of Natural Gas Futures Prices, 5692-09
August 10, 2009
CFTC Obtains $7.6 Million Asset Freeze in New York Fraud Matter, 5691-09
August 7, 2009
CFTC Issues a Notice to Suspend or Modify the Registration of Indicted Floor Broker David G. Sklena of Skokie, Illinois, 5690-09
August 7, 2009
CFTC Charges Charlotte, North Carolina Couple Sidney and Charlotte Hanson and their Companies with Operating a $22.5 Million Foreign Currency Ponzi Scheme, 5689-09
August 6, 2009
California Court Imposes Fines and Other Sanctions Totaling More than $25 Million against Safevest LLC of Mission Viejo, California and its Owners, Jon G. Ervin and John V. Slye, 5688-09
July 20, 2009
Florida Court Enters Orders Imposing Fines and Other Sanctions against Randy Burstein and Nader Yazdani in CFTC Action Charging Commodity Options Fraud, 5679-09
July 14, 2009
CFTC Charges Weston, Florida Man With Operating a $14 Million Dollar Fraudulent Commodities Scheme, 5676-09
July 9, 2009
CFTC Charges California Man and His Company with Commodity Options Fraud, 5675-09
July 9, 2009
CFTC Charges Georgia Man with Operating a Multi-Million Dollar Forex Ponzi Scheme, 5674-09
July 7, 2009
CFTC Charges California Man Patrick Dailey and His Texas Company with Fraud in Connection with a Multi-Million Dollar Commodity Pool, 5673-09
June 29, 2009
CFTC Sanctions Foreign Currency Broker Who Allowed Confidential Personal Information of its Customers to Appear on the Internet, 5670-09
June 9, 2009
CFTC Charges California-Based SNC Asset Management, Inc., SNC Investments Inc., CEO Peter Son, and CFO Jin K. Chung in an $85 Million Forex Ponzi Scam, 5666-09
May 26, 2009
CFTC Charges Texas Residents Robert Watson, Daniel Petroski and their Companies with Fraud in Multi-Million Dollar Forex Scheme, 5661-09
May 21, 2009
CFTC Charges Florida Resident Michael J. Riolo and His Two Companies with Fraud in Alleged Multi-Million Dollar Foreign Currency Scam, 5659-09
May 20, 2009
Delaware Resident Kenneth Branch and his company, Cocoon Trade, Inc., Ordered to Pay More than $1.5 Million in Restitution and Penalties in CFTC Commodity Pool Fraud Action, 5658-09
May 15, 2009
CFTC Charges Las Vegas Resident Gordon Driver and His Companies in $13.5 Million Ponzi Fraud, 5656-09
May 13, 2009
Michigan Resident Ordered To Pay More Than $300,000 in Sanctions for Defrauding Clients, 5654-09
April 21, 2009
Illinois Federal Court Enters Preliminary Injunction Against Brookshire Raw Materials Management, LLC, a Barrington, Illinois-Based Commodity Pool Operator, and its Canadian Principals, 5649-09
April 15, 2009
CFTC Charges Stuart Jones, Payton Lowe, and WeCorp., Inc. of Hilo and Honolulu, Hawaii with Operating $1.5 Million Ponzi Scheme, 5647-09
April 9, 2009
New York Court Enters Order Imposing a $240,000 Fine and Other Sanctions against New York State Resident Michael Vitebsky in a Foreign Currency Scam, 5646-09
April 9, 2009
CFTC Charges Austin, Texas Resident Steven Leigh Shakespeare and His Company, Guardian Futures, Inc., With Fraud and Unauthorized Trading, 5645-09
April 9, 2009
William D. Perkins of St. George, Utah Ordered to Pay More Than $2 Million in Sanctions in CFTC Ponzi Scheme Action, 5644-09
- Order: CFTC v. William D. Perkins, et al.
- Opinion: CFTC v. William D. Perkins, et al.
- CFTC Charges Utah Resident William D. Perkins with $3.4 Million Hedge Fund Fraud
- New Jersey Federal Court Orders More Than $8 Million in Sanctions Against Robert W. Shimer, Vincent J. Firth, and Equity Financial Group LLC in CFTC Anti-Fraud Action
- New Jersey Court Order Imposes More Than $30 Million in Sanctions against Coyt E. Murray, Tech Traders, Inc., Tech Traders, Ltd., Magnum Investments, Ltd., and Magnum Capital Investments, Ltd. in Anti-Fraud Action Brought by the CFTC
April 7, 2009
Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Two Nevada Corporations in $20 Million Commodity Pool Ponzi Scheme Operated by Tennessee Resident, Dennis Bolze, 5642-09
April 7, 2009
CFTC Charges Two Florida Companies and Three Florida Men with Operating a Fraudulent Commodity Pool that Solicited Approximately $17 Million from about 100 Investors, 5643-09
April 2, 2009
Nacogdoches, Texas Businessman George D. Hudgins Ordered to Pay Approximately $86 Million for Defrauding 230 Investors in a “Ponzi” Scheme Involving Commodity Futures and Options Contracts, 5641-09
March 30, 2009
CFTC Restricts the Registrations of Commodity Professionals John C. Glase, Sutherland Group, Inc., and Skibo Asset Management, LLC, 5640-09
March 26, 2009
CFTC Sanctions ADM Investor Services, Inc. $200,000 For Failing To Diligently Supervise Its Employees, 5639-09
March 18, 2009
CFTC Charges North Carolina Foreign Currency Firm Barki, LLC and Its Recently Deceased Principal Bruce C. Kramer In Alleged $40 Million Ponzi Fraud, 5635-09
March 12, 2009
CFTC Charges Tennessee Resident and Las Vegas-based Firm with Fraud and Misappropriation in $20 Million Commodity Pool Ponzi Scheme, 5634-09
March 11, 2009
CFTC Charges Charlottesville, Virginia Man with Stealing $1 Million From Investors in a Ponzi Scheme Involving More than $10 Million, 5632-09
March 11, 2009
CFTC Sanctions Chicago-based Walsh Trading Inc. $50,000 for Failing to Supervise an Employee's Handling of Customer Accounts, 5631-09
March 5, 2009
CFTC Charges Ponzi Scheme in Mansfield, Texas, Caused More Than 250 Investors to Lose at Least $10.9 Million, 5626-09
February 27, 2009
Anthony Ramunno, Jr., formerly of Alpharetta, Georgia, and His Company, Renaissance Asset Management LLC, Fined and Sanctioned in a $21 Million Ponzi Scheme, 5624-09
February 27, 2009
CFTC Charges Idaho Resident Daren L. Palmer with Operating $40 Million Ponzi Scheme, 5623-09
February 25, 2009
CFTC Charges Fund Manager Mark Bloom and His Firm, North Hills Management LLC, with Misappropriating Over $13 Million, 5622-09
February 25, 2009
CFTC Charges New York Residents with Operating $1.3 Billion Investment Scam, 5621-09
- Complaint:Stephen Walsh, Paul Greenwood, Westridge Capital Management, Inc., WG Trading Investors, LP, WGIA, LLC.
- Order: Stephen Walsh, Paul Greenwood, Westridge Capital Management, Inc., WG Trading Investors, LP, WGIA
February 25, 2009
CFTC Charges South Florida Firm, Zurich Futures & Options, Inc., and Michele LaBruce with Defrauding Customers of Over $1.4 Million in Commodity Options Scam, 5620-09
February 20, 2009
Federal Court Order Freezes Assets of Illinois Commodity Pool Operator Brookshire Raw Materials Management, LLC and its Canadian Principals Based on CFTC Charges of Misappropriating More Than $4.6 Million in a Ponzi Scheme, 5616-09
- Complaint: John M. Marshall, Stephen Z. Adams, Brookshire Raw Materials Group, Inc., Brookshire and Company, Ltd., and Brookshire Raw Materials Management, LLC.
- Order: John M. Marshall, Stephen Z. Adams, Brookshire Raw Materials Group, Inc., Brookshire and Company, Ltd., and Brookshire Raw Materials Management, LLC.
February 19, 2009
CFTC Congratulates U.S. Attorney for Obtaining a Criminal Conviction Against Frank Anthony DeSantis III of Stuart, Florida, for Operating a Commodities Investment Scheme, 5615-09
February 19, 2009
CFTC Charges Hawaii-based Marvin Cooper and Billion Coupons, Inc. with Operating a $4 Million Foreign Currency Ponzi Scheme Aimed at Defrauding the Deaf Community, 5614-09
February 11, 2009
CFTC Orders Former Bank Trader and New York City Resident to Pay $360,000 Penalty in Connection with False Trading Reports Submitted to His Former Employer, Bank of America, 5612-09
February 10, 2009
CFTC Seeks Freeze of Assets in Oklahoma Ponzi Scheme Involving Over $30 Million, 5610-09
February 6, 2009
CFTC Obtains Judgment Against Albert E. Parish and Parish Economics LLC for Operating a Commodity Pool Scam in CFTC Anti-Fraud Action, 5609-09
February 5, 2009
CFTC Charges Minnesota Resident Charles “Chuck” E. Hays and His Company, Crossfire Trading, LLC, with Running a $5.5 Million Ponzi Scheme, 5608-09
January 27, 2009
CFTC Charges Nicholas Cosmo and Agape Companies with Defrauding Customers of Tens of Millions of Dollars in Commodity Futures Trading Scheme, 5606-09
January 27, 2009
CFTC Obtains Asset Freeze in Fraudulent Solicitation and Misappropriation Case Against International Foreign Currency Firm, Atwood & James, and Michael Kardonick, 5605-09
January 15, 2009
CFTC Charges James Ossie and CRE Capital Corporation with Operating a $25 Million Foreign Currency Ponzi Scheme, 5598-09
January 15, 2009
New York Court Enters Order Imposing a Fine and Other Sanctions against Boris Shuster of Fort Dix, New Jersey, in a Foreign Currency Scam, 5599-09
January 9, 2009
CFTC Sanctions Four Commodity Pool Operators for Failing to File Timely Reports with the National Futures Association, 5596-09
January 8, 2009
CFTC Charges Philadelphia-area Resident with Operating $50 Million Ponzi Scheme, 5594-09