Criminal case filed in scandal
Late trading leads to felony charges
By MEG RICHARDS
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- New York prosecutors filed the first criminal counts Tuesday in their investigation of mutual fund trading practices, charging a former Bank of America broker in a scheme they said cost investors tens of millions of dollars.
Theodore Sihpol III, 36, surrendered Tuesday to face felony charges of grand larceny and violations of securities law, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said at a news conference where the Securities and Exchange Commission also announced civil charges against him.
Sihpol was in custody following his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court late Tuesday. Judge Melissa Jackson set bond at $750,000 and agreed it could be secured by $50,000 in cash, but Sihpol brought a certified check. He was expected to be freed on bond by this morning at the latest.
Authorities allege Sihpol helped Canary Capital Partners, a multimillion-dollar hedge fund, gain special opportunities known as late trading, in which mutual fund shares are bought at the 4 p.m. price after the market closes. Late trading is prohibited by New York law and SEC rules. Ordinary investors who place late orders must pay the following day's price.
Sihpol's lawyer, Don Buchwald, said Spitzer's civil complaint in the Canary Capital case makes clear that when the hedge fund proposed the trades in question, Sihpol "sought and obtained approval for Canary's trading procedures from all appropriate personnel and levels at the bank."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2104059more...
Heres a thought could Spitzer be slowly moving up the food chain in Enron to Ken Lay! I think this guy is great! :bounce: