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 FINES FLOOR BROKER FOR UNLAWFULLY TRADING CRUDE OIL FUTURES CONTRACTS; Robert Benjamin Harmon, Jr. Settles Charges that He Engaged in Wash Sales, Reported Non-Bona Fide Prices, and Executed Non-competitive Trades
CFTC FINDS THAT NORMAN EISLER MANIPULATED SETTLEMENT PRICES; Norman Eisler and First West Trading, Inc. to Pay Civil Penalty of $4.9 Million
FLORIDA FEDERAL COURT ORDERS HUSBAND AND WIFE THOMAS CHILCOTT AND LEONA WESTBROOK TO REPAY MORE THAN $2.1 MILLION TO CUSTOMERS INJURED IN COMMODITY FRAUD SCHEME; Court Also Orders Couple and Another Defendant To Pay $2.42 Million in Civil Penalties
TEXAS MAN CHARGED WITH FOREIGN CURRENCY FRAUD; CFTC Charges Ross Erskine with Fraudulently Soliciting Foreign Currency Futures Customers by Making Misleading Profit Claims
New Jersey Foreign Currency Futures Firm Charged with Defauding Commodities Customers; Clearview Capital Management, Inc. and Fort Lee Resident James I. Weiss Allegedly Misrepresented Their Trading Profitability and Experience, and Charged Undisclosed Fees
CFTC Suspends Floor Brokers for Unlawfully Trading Coffee Futures Contracts
CFTC CHARGES CALIFORNIA MAN AND HIS FIRM, UR-LINK, WITH FRAUD IN CONNECTION WITH FOREIGN CURRENCY SCHEME
LOS ANGELES-AREA FOREIGN CURRENCY (FOREX) FIRM EMERALD WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS, INC., CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING MORE THAN 300 CUSTOMERS OF OVER $4.7 MILLION IN COMMODITY SCAM; CFTC Also Charges Jan Lu Hao and Jian Zhuang in Scheme to Defraud
CFTC CHARGES CHICAGO BROKER KEITH W. KRYSINSKI WITH FRAUD ON COMMODITY FUTURES CUSTOMERS; CFTC Alleges Defendant Misappropriated Certain Customer Funds and Created a False Statement To Conceal the Fraud; Federal Court Issues Order Freezing Defendant's Assets
CFTC IMPOSES A TOTAL OF $34 MILLION IN CIVIL PENALTIES ON THREE ENERGY TRADING FIRMS; Reliant Energy Services, Inc. To Pay $18 Million To Settle Charges of False Reporting and Attempted Manipulation, As Well As Charges of Wash Sales; and, CMS Marketing Services & Trading and CMS Field Services To Pay $16 Million to Settle Charges of False Reporting and Attempted Manipulation