SEC Charges Three Florida Residents in Multi-Million Dollar Insider Trading Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against three Florida residents for trading in advance of market moving announcements involving DSW Inc., Rite Aid Corporation, and an attempt to acquire Aphria Inc., a Canadian cannabis-related business. According to the SEC’s complaint, David Schottenstein of Surfside, Fla. repeatedly obtained inside information and used it to trade in advance of an August 2017 DSW earnings announcement and a December 2018 tender offer to acquire Aphria. Schottenstein also allegedly received information and traded ahead of the February 2018 announcement of a merger agreement between Albertsons Companies, Inc. and Rite Aid. According to the complaint, Schottenstein obtained the information from a cousin who served on the board of directors of both DSW and the company that had attempted to acquire Aphria, and whose family owned a private business that was involved in the Rite Aid transaction.