SEC Awards $450,000 to Whistleblower

Posted on April 20th, 2020 at 4:51 PM
SEC Awards $450,000 to Whistleblower

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law LLC:

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced that it had awarded $450,000 to a whistleblower.  Unlike most individuals who receive a whistleblower award from the SEC, the recipient of this award had compliance-related responsibilities at their firm. Under the compliance officer exclusion, Individuals whose primary duties include compliance or internal audits are usually not eligible for SEC whistleblower awards.  However, those individuals can be eligible for an SEC whistleblower award if 120 days have passed since that individual reported the issue internally. Per SEC Protocol, neither the whistleblower nor the enforcement action was identified. 

This is only the third time in the nine-year history of the SEC whistleblower program that the SEC has paid an award to a whistleblower with compliance-related responsibilities. This is the first such award since April 2015.  

The SEC whistleblower program was established in 2011.  Since 2011, the program has award $396 million to 77 whistleblowers.  Individuals who provide original, timely and credible information that leads to a successful SEC enforcement action may be eligible to receive an award. Whistleblowers are paid a percentage of money collected by the SEC if the sanctions exceed $1 million. 

Eccleston Law LLC helps individuals file whistleblower claims on a confidential basis.

The attorneys of Eccleston Law LLC represent investors and advisors nationwide in securities and employment matters. The securities lawyers at Eccleston Law also practice a variety of other areas of practice for financial investors and advisors including Securities FraudCompliance ProtectionBreach of Fiduciary DutyFINRA Matters, and much more. Our attorneys draw on a combined experience of nearly 65 years in delivering the highest quality legal services. If you are in need of legal services, contact us to schedule a one-on-one consultation today.

Related Attorneys: James J. Eccleston

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, james eccleston, sec, whistleblower,

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Jim, Stephany and the whole team were a God send.  We felt like we were put into a situation where we had no advocate. Jim’s team came in with a strong, well laid out strategy on how to get our story heard. Where our outside compliance company had no ability to help, our Broker Dealer was impenitent, and the regulators were aggressive pursuing vague rules, Jim came like a barricade against an assault we did not understand. Though you pay member dues to be affiliated with FINRA and a B/D, you have no voice. The only thing that is truly heard in this un-level playing field is a bulldog’s bark like Jim’s. I would encourage anyone to call Jim and his team to find a real ally in the tough and complicated world of securities regulation. They are truly the best.

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