CFTC secures final judgment against Stephen Walsh in $1.3bn investment scam case

Maria Nikolova

Judge George B. Daniels of the New York Southern District Court granted the CFTC’s motion for a final judgment against the defendant.

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has secured a final judgment against Stephen Walsh, a defendant in a $1.3 billion investment scam case. On November 13, 2019, Judge George B. Daniels of the New York Southern District Court granted the CFTC’s request.

The Permanent Injunction previously entered by the Court on August 20, 2014, will constitute the final judgment against Walsh. A forfeiture money judgment was entered against Walsh in a parallel criminal proceeding in the amount of $50,743,779, constituting the total proceeds he personally received as a result of the felony violation to which he pled guilty. The CFTC has withdrawn its claims for any further relief.

Back in 2009, the regulator accused Stephen Walsh and Paul Greenwood of fraudulently soliciting approximately $1.3 billion from individuals and entities through Westridge Capital Management, WG Trading Investors, LP, and other entities.

The CFTC’s complaint alleged that the defendants solicited funds from commodity pool participants. The defendants defrauded victims by falsely depicting that all pool participants’ funds would be employed in a single investment strategy that consisted of index arbitrage. However, pool participants’ funds were transferred to another entity from which Walsh and Greenwood siphoned funds.

According to the complaint, to cover-up their misappropriation of pool participants’ funds, Greenwood and Walsh manufactured promissory notes to present the appearance that pool participants’ funds had been loaned to them.

Walsh and Greenwood allegedly misappropriated approximately $553 million in pool participants’ funds. More than $160 million was used for Walsh and Greenwood’s personal expenses, including purchasing rare books, horses, Steiff teddy bears for as much as $80,000, and a $3 million residence for Walsh’s ex-wife.

Read this next

Retail FX

Banxso announces 8.7% interest rate on deposits in South Africa

“With Banxso, they can enjoy the benefits of both worlds – earning competitive interest and having the freedom to trade, all within the same platform.”

Industry News

FINRA to publish transaction details in U.S. Treasury securities

“Consistent with our longstanding practice, FINRA is introducing greater transparency in a calibrated and careful manner, benefiting liquidity and resilience in this critical market while also mitigating potential information leakage concerns.”

Institutional FX

OpenYield launches “cheap and easy” fixed income trading for brokers

“We’re on a mission to make bonds cheap and easy to trade, and are excited about the opportunity to build generational capital markets infrastructure.”

Digital Assets

Sumsub and Mercuryo publish a guide for VASPs: “Mastering Travel Rule Compliance”

“At Sumsub, we’ve concentrated our efforts on filling the gap in understanding the complexity of Travel Rule regulation and helping organizations find the best solution to stay safe and compliant while minimizing costs and avoiding potential risks of non-compliance. This guide we created with Mercuryo, our trusted partner, is the ultimate navigation tool all VASPs can consult.”

Digital Assets

Bitget Wallet Leads with Record Swap Volume & New Crypto Innovations

This week, Bitget Wallet achieved a milestone by surpassing Metamask with a record 388,757 Swap order transactions, securing the global lead. The significant 7-day trading volume, almost 68,000 more than its rival, underscores its liquidity and user trust. This robust activity signals Bitget Wallet’s prominent role and reliability in the dynamic crypto market.

Digital Assets

Embarking on a Digital Currency Journey

Imagine you’ve stumbled upon a treasure map, leading you to untold riches hidden in the vastness of the internet. Instead of gold coins and jewel-encrusted goblets, this treasure comes in the form of digital currencies, the modern-day loot coveted by many.

Reviews

Traders Union Experts Share The Trading Analyst Review For 2024

Navigating options trading in rapidly shifting markets poses a considerable challenge. This is where options trading alert services become invaluable. They aid traders in keeping abreast of evolving opportunities and market trends. In this assessment, Traders Union experts scrutinize The Trading Analyst alert service to ascertain its efficacy. 

Digital Assets

BlockDAG’s Presale Achieves $9.9M: Aiming For A 5000-Fold ROI As Cardano’s Price Rises And Fantom Launches Sonic

Explore Cardano’s surge, Sonic’s efficiency, and why BlockDAG’s growth makes it the top crypto choice. A deep dive into the future of blockchain investments.

Digital Assets

US, UK probe $20 billion Tether transfers tied to Russian exchange.

U.S. and UK authorities are investigating the movement of $20 billion in the USD-pegged stablecoin tether (USDT) through Moscow-based exchange Garantex.

<