March 28, 2012

CFTC Seeks to Revoke the Registrations of Illinois Resident Joseph A. Dawson and His Company, Strategic Research LLC

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced the filing of a notice of intent to revoke the registrations of Illinois resident Joseph A. Dawson (Dawson) and his company, Strategic Research LLC (SR), a registered Commodity Pool Operator (CPO). Dawson is the president and sole principal of SR and has been a registered Associated Person of SR since February 13, 2009.

According to the CFTC’s notice, Dawson is subject to disqualification from registration under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) based on his felony conviction for wire fraud, a federal court’s finding that he committed fraud and misappropriation, and a federal court’s entry of a permanent injunction order against him. SR is subject to disqualification from registration under the CEA because Dawson is its principal, according to the notice.

Specifically, the notice states that on March 8, 2011, Dawson pled guilty to three felony counts of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 in United States v. Dawson, a criminal action filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois on Dec. 17, 2009, 09-CR-1037 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 17, 2009). The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois sentenced Dawson to 54 months of imprisonment and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims.

The notice also states that on April 26, 2011, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois entered a consent order of permanent injunction against Dawson in a CFTC anti-fraud action filed on July 20, 2010, against Dawson and his unregistered CPO, Dawson Trading LLC, 10-CV-4510 (N.D. Ill. July 20, 2010) (see CFTC Press Releases 5860-10, July 26, 2010, and 6072-11, July 13, 2011). In that consent order, Dawson admitted that he misappropriated approximately $2.1 million of commodity pool participant funds, fraudulently solicited pool participants, and made material false statements to pool participants in violation of the CEA. The consent order permanently prohibits Dawson from violating the CEA’s anti-fraud provisions.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff responsible for this action are Stephanie Reinhart, William Janulis, Scott Williamson, Rosemary Hollinger, and Richard Wagner.

Media Contact
Dennis Holden
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Last Updated: March 28, 2012