SEC Awards $11.5 Million to Two Whistleblowers

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced awards of approximately $11.5 million to two whistleblowers whose information and assistance contributed to the success of an SEC enforcement action. The first whistleblower received an award of nearly $7 million, while the second whistleblower received more than $4.5 million. The larger award was in recognition of the fact that the first whistleblower was the initial source that caused the staff to open the investigation into hard-to-detect violations and thereafter provided substantial assistance. The second whistleblower, by comparison, submitted information later, after the investigation was already underway, and had delayed reporting to the Commission for several years after becoming aware of the wrongdoing.