The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced an award of about $50,000 to a whistleblower for original information that led to a successful CFTC enforcement action.
The award is the fourth under the CFTC’s whistleblower program and the smallest award so far.
In April, the CFTC awarded a whistleblower more than $10 million.
The agency made its first award to a whistleblower in May 2014, paying out $240,000.
In September 2015, the agency announced its second award of about $290,000.
The CFTC said in its latest annual report to the Senate it denied awards to 25 whistleblower award applicants.
The CFTC’s whistleblower program was created by section 748 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.
The program rewards people who voluntarily report violations of the Commodity Exchange Act if the information leads to a successful CFTC enforcement action resulting in sanctions of more than $1 million.
By law, the CFTC protects the confidentiality of whistleblowers and doesn’t disclose information that might directly or indirectly reveal a whistleblower’s identity, the CFTC said.
The CFTC is an independent federal agency. It regulates the U.S. derivatives markets, including futures, options, and swaps. Its enforcement division investigates violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and the CFTC Regulations, such as fraud, market manipulation, and illegal trade practices.
The CFTC launched a new whistleblower website this year at www.whistleblower.gov.
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Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog. He’ll be the keynote speaker at the FCPA Blog NYC Conference 2016.
1 Comment
In the meantime, no reward on any FCPA cases. Has the initiative failed from a FCPA perspective or is it too early to tell? I am afraid that until they show some results, potential whistleblowers' attitude will be "show me the money".
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