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 SETTLES ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST FLOOR BROKER CHARGED WITH UNLAWFULLY TRADING COFFEE FUTURES; John Joyce Is Suspended For Three Months and Ordered to Pay $25,000 Penalty
ST. LOUIS COMMODITY TRADER AND HIS COMPANY CHARGED WITH TAKING AS MUCH AS $494,000 FROM INVESTORS; CFTC Also Charges Defendants With Giving Investors False Account Statements Showing Profitable Trading When the Defendants Were Losing Money
SISTER OF A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF A CHICAGO COMMODITY FIRM AGREES TO TURN OVER MONEY HER BROTHER GAVE HER AS PART OF HIS FRAUDULENT SCHEME; CFTC Also Obtains Default Judgment Against Other Remaining Relief Defendants
TWO TEXAS MEN SETTLE FEDERAL CHARGES OF FRAUDULENT COMMODITY SCHEME; CFTC Imposed Penalties and Trading Bans
FLORIDA RESIDENT CHARGED WITH SWINDLING AT LEAST $10.6 MILLION FROM INVESTORS AND SPENDING MONEY ON LAS VEGAS JUNKETS, AIRPLANE CHARTERS, HOMES, AND AUTOMOBILES, CFTC Charges Donald C. O'Neill and His Companies with Fraudulent Solicitation and Misappropriation in Connection With Purported Foreign Currency Hedge Funds
ATLANTA INVESTMENT FIRM AND ITS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER CHARGED WITH SOLICITING OVER $400,000 FROM CUSTOMERS TO INVEST IN ILLEGAL FOREIGN CURRENCY (FOREX) FUTURES CONTRACTS; Government Obtains Federal Court Order Preventing Defendants from Offering Illegal FOREX Contracts and Freezing Assets of Defendants Advent Capital Partners, Ltd. and Samuel Daley
FORMER EMPLOYEE OF AVISTA ENERGY, INC. SETTLES MANIPULATION CHARGES; CFTC Orders Robert Kristufek To Pay $155,000 Civil Monetary Penalty and Imposes Two-Year Trading Ban
CALIFORNIA DEFENDANTS SETTLE CFTC COMPLAINT ALLEGING COMMODITY OPTIONS FRAUD; Madison Financial Group, LLC, and Its President and a Principal, Richard A. Cohen, Are Permanently Barred From Trading Commodity Futures and Options
ILLINOIS MAN AND HIS FIRM CHARGED WITH SWINDLING OVER $1.4 MILLION IN COMMODITY FRAUD; CFTC Charges John Martin Lofgren and Melrose Asset Management With Fraud
GEORGIA CORPORATION AND TWO INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH FRAUDULENTLY OFFERING ILLEGAL FOREIGN CURRENCY (FOREX) FUTURES CONTRACTS; CFTC Obtains Federal Court Order Freezing Assets of Global Financial Consulting, Inc., Wook Hyun Kim, and Chang H. Lee