Securities News

SEC Charges Family With $3.7 Million Insider Trading Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the filing of a civil action in federal district court in New York, New York involving a rampant insider trading scheme which generated more than $3.7 million in profits and losses avoided for a family and certain friends over a five year period. From at least 2001 through 2005, seven individuals, including lawyers and accountants, participated in a scheme to trade in the stock and option contracts of Taro Pharmaceuticals Industries, Ltd. ("Taro"), an Israeli-based publicly traded pharmaceutical company, ahead of eight earnings announcements and five FDA approval announcements. In the later stages of the scheme, certain of the defendants broadened the scheme by trading on information stolen from Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP ("PwC") and Ernst & Young, LLP concerning two possible mergers.

In its complaint, the Commission alleged that Zvi Rosenthal, a Vice President at Taro, abused his position at Taro by systematically stealing material, nonpublic information concerning 13 separate company announcements, including earnings results and pending generic drug approvals by the Food and Drug Administration. Zvi then traded on the information and passed it on to his family members who then traded in Taro stock and options. Typically, Zvi provided information to his son, Amir Rosenthal who traded in personal accounts he controlled, and in the account of the family- owned and controlled hedge fund, Aragon Partners, LP. Amir also tipped his brothers, Oren Rosenthal and Ayal Rosenthal; his father-in-law, Bahram Delshad ("Delshad"); his best friend, David Heyman ("Heyman"); and his work supervisor, Young Kim ("Kim"), with information he received from Zvi, and each of them traded. The complaint further alleges that in its later stages, certain of the defendants broadened the scheme to include trading on nonpublic information stolen from entities other than Taro. On at least two occasions, Ayal and Heyman misappropriated material, nonpublic information concerning impending mergers from their respective employers, PwC and E, and tipped Amir with the information. Amir then traded on it. Amir also tipped Kim with the information from Ayal and Heyman, and Kim traded on the information. Read more at sec.gov.

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	Did You Know?
	Swap: In general, the exchange of one asset or liability for a similar asset or liability Swap: In general, the exchange of one asset or liability for a similar asset or liability for the purpose of lengthening or shortening maturities, or raising or lowering coupon rates, to maximize revenue or minimize financing costs. This may entail selling one securities issue and buying another in foreign currency; it may entail buying a currency on the spot market and simultaneously selling it forward. Swaps also may involve exchanging income flows; for example, exchanging the fixed rate coupon stream of a bond for a variable rate payment stream, or vice versa, while not swapping the principal component of the bond. Swaps are generally traded over-the-counter.