Release: 5042-05
For Release: January 27, 2005

U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION SEEKS TO REVOKE REGISTRATIONS OF ILLINOIS RESIDENT LESLIE JEAN WNUKOWSKI

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced today that it has initiated an action against Leslie Jean Wnukowski of Midlothian, Illinois, to revoke her registrations as a commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, and associated person on the basis of financial irresponsibility and other good cause.

In 2002, a federal court ordered Wnukowski to pay $169,920 to victims of a fraudulent commodity pool scheme pursuant to a settlement entered in a federal litigation matter captioned CFTC v. Joseph P. McGivney, Sr., et al., No. 99 C 2357 (N.D. Ill.). The funds she was ordered to pay were those she received from the illegal scheme that was the subject of that case, where she was named as a relief defendant. A relief defendant is one who received funds from a fraudulent scheme, but who is not charged with fraud or other misconduct in that scheme.

The current CFTC action alleges that Wnukowski has the financial resources to make the payments pursuant to the federal court order, but that she has failed to do so. The CFTC action alleges that Wnukowski receives thousands of dollars a month in salary and other forms of compensation, including a leased Mercedes automobile, from her employment as President of a Mokena, Illinois-based firm called Unique Strategies, Inc. (formerly Commodity Futures, Inc.).

The CFTC action additionally claims that Wnukowski demonstrated financial irresponsibility by, among other things, attempting to avoid the oversight of the National Futures Association (NFA) and ignoring an NFA letter instructing her that she was prohibited from conducting business for commodity futures customers because she was not an NFA member. The CFTC’s action also alleges that Wnukowski filed a false registration document with the Commission by failing to disclose her employment by Unique Strategies.

Wnukowski will have 30 days to file a response with the Commission to the allegations.

The following CFTC Division of Enforcement staff were responsible for this case: Susan B. Padove, Robert Greenwald, Ken Hampton, Scott R. Williamson, and Rosemary Hollinger.

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Media Contacts
Alan Sobba
(202) 418-5080
Dennis Holden
(202) 418-5088
Office of External Affairs

Staff Contact
Joan Manley
Deputy Director
(202) 418-5356

Rosemary Hollinger
Associate Director
Regional Counsel
CFTC Division of Enforcement
(312) 596-0538

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