December 19, 2022 – The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced an award of more than $37 million to a whistleblower whose information led to a successful SEC enforcement action and a related action.
The whistleblower was the initial source of the company’s internal investigation, as well as the source for investigations by the SEC and another agency. While the company reported the alleged conduct to the SEC and the other agency, the whistleblower receives credit for the investigations being initiated because the whistleblower provided the same information to the SEC within 120 days of providing it internally.
“The whistleblower here made persistent efforts to bring the conduct to the attention of the SEC, another agency, and the company and is credited with the results of the company’s internal investigation,” said Creola Kelly, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower.
Payments to whistleblowers are made out of an investor protection fund, established by Congress, which is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. No money has been taken or withheld from harmed investors to pay whistleblower awards. Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million.
As set forth in the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and does not disclose any information that could reveal a whistleblower’s identity.
For more information regarding filing a Whistleblower tip, contact The Securities Lawyer at 212-509-6544. All discussions are confidential, and the SEC maintains the confidentiality of the identity of the whistleblower.
Have a whistleblower question? Call New York Securities Lawyers at 212-509-6544. We represent whistleblowers across the country
Mark Astarita is a nationally recognized securities attorney, who represents investors, financial professionals and firms in securities litigation, arbitration and regulatory matters, including SEC and FINRA investigations and enforcement proceedings.
He is a partner in the national securities law firm Sallah Astarita & Cox, LLC, and the founder of The Securities Law Home Page - SECLaw.com, which was one of the first legal topic sites on the Internet. It went online in 1995 and is updated daily with news, commentary and securities law related links.
