Release: 5516-08
For Release: July 9, 2008

Enforcement Director Gregory Mocek to Leave CFTC

Mocek Led the Division of Enforcement to Historic Highs for Case Filings, Penalties, and Complex Manipulation Investigations

Washington, DC – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) today announced that Gregory Mocek, Director of the Division of Enforcement will be leaving the Commission within 60 days to return to private practice as a Partner in the Energy and Derivatives Markets Practice Group at McDermott Will & Emery.

Mocek, 46, was named Director of Enforcement in March 2002, and oversaw attorneys and investigators in Washington, New York, Kansas City, and Chicago. Mocek was responsible for managing the Commission’s investigations and enforcement litigation throughout the United States.

“I am forever grateful that Greg Mocek stepped up as an extraordinary leader during a time it was most needed at the Commission. With his ‘real-time’ enforcement approach, Greg reshaped the Enforcement Division to aggressively investigate and prosecute the most complex derivatives cases for the benefit of the public,” said Acting Chairman Walter Lukken. “The Commission will dearly miss his intellect, his hard work and judgment and most importantly, his integrity.”

“I have had the opportunity to work with so many talented and wonderful people during my tenure at the Commission,” said Director of Enforcement Greg Mocek. “Leading a Division of professionals who are considered to be the best in the world at investigating and litigating commodity fraud and manipulation was an honor. We implemented a new vision for the future of the Division in 2002, and subsequently, we turned over millions of rocks in search of illegal conduct. The success of this Division rests on the shoulders of all the CFTC enforcement staff that fight to protect the integrity of America’s commodity markets.”

Mocek led an enforcement division of more than one hundred professionals who dealt with cases involving complex over-the-counter, physical, and on-exchange commodity and derivatives transactions. Since 2002, the Division of Enforcement focused mainly on major frauds and manipulation cases, and filed hundreds of new cases in federal courts around the country. Those actions resulted in the assessment of penalties, restitution and disgorgement of more than $2.1 billion. Furthermore, after creating the Office of Cooperative Enforcement, Mocek played a key role in the Commission’s efforts to assist in related criminal prosecutions by domestic and international law enforcement bodies. Subsequent to his appointment, the Division aided state and federal prosecutors in the criminal prosecution of more than 170 individuals and corporate entities.

Furthermore, Mocek

• led the Commission’s efforts to reorganize the Division of Enforcement in 2002. Consequently, he dramatically improved productivity through improved management and systems. During the last twenty years, the Commission obtained more than $3.1 billion in settlements and judgments and, approximately 70% of those were obtained under Mocek’s tenure as Director;
• spearheaded the agency’s crackdown on illegal false reporting of trades and prices to index publications and effectively took on McGraw-Hill for its refusal to turn over critical evidence to the government; and, during the last six years, in the energy sector alone, Mocek led the agency’s investigations of several hundred energy companies, hedge funds, and traders. As a result of those efforts, the Commission filed cases against more than 66 traders and corporate entities, and assessed over $445 million in penalties.
• guided the agency to historic levels of manipulation investigations and prosecutions, and brought significant cases against Enron, Amaranth, Dynegy Marketing and Trade, El Paso Merchant Energy, W.D. Energy Services (Encana), Williams Companies, Duke Energy Trading & Marketing, American Electric Power Company, Reliant Energy Services, CMS Marketing Services & Trading, Aquila Merchant Services, e prime (Xcel), Coral Energy Resources, Energy Transfer Partners, Marathon Petroleum Company, and BP Products North America (the largest against a public company in Commission history);
• aggressively led multiple enforcement teams as they investigated hundreds of potential defendants for retail foreign currency fraud, and led his staff to file cases against 360 individuals and companies for off-exchange foreign currency violations, including Operation Wooden Nickel, the largest and most successful undercover case in Commission history (47 defendants charged); and
• played a key role in his team of professionals bringing actions on behalf of the Commission against more than 70 commodity pools, commodity trading advisors, and hedge funds for fraud and various other violations, including the following significant cases: CFTC v. Bayou Management and Samuel Israel et al, CFTC v. Lake Dow Capital, CFTC v. Cornerstone Capital Management, CFTC v. Albert Parish, CFTC v. Lake Shore Asset Management Limited; and CFTC v. Eustace.

Mocek joined the CFTC in 1998, and rose through the Commission to serve as one of the longest serving Enforcement Directors in Commission history. Prior to his current position, Mocek held several titles at the Commission, including Special Counsel to Chairman James Newsome, and Senior Trial Attorney. Before joining the CFTC, he was in private practice in Louisiana. Mocek holds a B.S. in Finance from the U. of Louisiana, a J.D. from Tulane University, and an LL.M. in International Banking from the Morin Center for Banking Law Studies at Boston University.

Mocek will assist the Commission with the transition to a new Division Director until his departure.

Media Contacts
Ianthe Zabel
202-418-5080

Dennis Holden
202-418-5088

Last Updated: July 9, 2008