Enforcement Actions

The CFTC Division of Enforcement investigates and prosecutes alleged violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and Commission regulations. The CFTC takes enforcement actions against individuals and firms registered with the Commission, those who are engaged in commodity futures and option trading on designated domestic exchanges, and those who improperly market futures and options contracts.

View Dispositions
View Opinions and Adjudicatory Orders

Enforcement Advisory: Updated Advisory on Self Reporting and Full Cooperation

Enforcement Advisory: Cooperation Factors in Enforcement Division Sanction Recommendations for Individuals

Enforcement Advisory: Cooperation Factors in Enforcement Division Sanction Recommendations for Companies

Enforcement Advisory: Advisory on Self Reporting and Cooperation for CEA Violations Involving Foreign Corrupt Practices

See CFTC Press Release 7518-17 (January 19, 2017) and
Speech of James McDonald, Director of the Division of Enforcement Commodity Futures Trading Commission Regarding Perspectives on Enforcement: Self-Reporting and Cooperation at the CFTC (September 25, 2017)

Date ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
CFTC SUES AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARY, CHARGING FALSE REPORTING AND ATTEMPTED MANIPULATION OF NATURAL GAS PRICES; AEP and its Subsidiary Charged with Routinely Reporting Thousands of False Natural Gas Trades to Publications
CFTC CHARGES CHICAGO MAN WITH BILKING COMMODITY INVESTORS IN FRAUDULENT SCHEME; Cameron Ownbey Allegedly Misrepresented His Past Trading Success by Falsely Claiming Annual Returns of 250 to 350 Percent; Court Enters Consent Order of Preliminary Injunction Against Ownbey, Freezing His Assets
NEW YORK FOREIGN CURRENCY (FOREX) FIRM CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING 378 INVESTORS OF MORE THAN $7 MILLION IN COMMODITY SCAM; CFTC Charges Sun Platinum Group LLC and Eduard Dmanskiy With Commodity Scam Involving Offshore Entities; Federal District Court Judge Orders Defendants' Assets Frozen
U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION CHARGES PHOENIX MAN AND HIS COMPANIES WITH DEFRAUDING INVESTORS IN $25 MILLION SCAM; Ronald Holt, International Funding Association, Global Management Group, Inc., and Cambridge Global Group Charged with Misappropriation, Solicitation Fraud, and Offer of Illegal Off-Exchange Futures Contracts
DUKE ENERGY TRADING AND MARKETING, L.L.C., AN AFFILIATE OF DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION, PAYS $28 MILLION TO SETTLE CFTC CHARGES OF ATTEMPTED MANIPULATION; Duke Energy Trading and Marketing Charged With False Reporting and Attempted Manipulation in Violation of the Commodity Exchange Act
FEDERAL COURT ORDERS FLORIDA RESIDENTS TO REPAY DEFRAUDED FOREIGN CURRENCY (FOREX) CUSTOMERS $1.9 MILLION; Court Also Orders Defendants Daniel Fasciana and Anthony Russo to Pay Civil Penalties Totaling $6 Million and to Forfeit Certain Assets for Defrauding Customers While Selling Illegal Foreign Currency Option Contracts
CFTC SETTLES ACTION AGAINST REMAINING DEFENDANTS IN INDIANA COMMODITY POOL FRAUD; Court Orders Defendants James N. Wilson and JNW Management to Pay More Than $210,000 in Civil Penalties and Disgorgement For Involvement in Ponzi Scheme
U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION NOTES THE UNSEALING OF 40-COUNT FEDERAL CRIMINAL INDICTMENT AGAINST DONALD O'NEILL RELATING TO FOREIGN CURRENCY INVESTMENT SCHEME; CFTC Charged O'Neill Civilly in 2002 Based On Same Underlying Facts
U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION FINES NYMEX FLOOR BROKER FOR UNLAWFULLY TRADING CRUDE OIL FUTURES CONTRACTS; Michael Garber Settles Charges that He Engaged in Wash Sales, Reported Non-Bona Fide Prices, and Executed Non-competitive Trades; CFTC Also Files Charges Against NYMEX Floor Broker Robert Benjamin Harmon, Jr.
U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION CHARGES ATLANTA TRADING FIRM, RISK CAPITAL TRADING GROUP, INC. WITH DEFRAUDING CUSTOMERS; Firm and Certain Traders Allegedly Made False Claims that Accounts Would Make Large Profits With Little Risk Due to Political Events, Such as the War in Iraq; Court Enters Restraining Order Freezing Risk Capital Trading Group's Assets and Protecting Books and Records