InfoBytes Blog
SEC awards $36 million to whistleblower
On September 24, the SEC announced that it awarded a whistleblower approximately $36 million for providing information and assistance leading to a successful SEC enforcement action, as well as actions by another federal agency. According to the redacted order, the whistleblower voluntarily provided information regarding an illegal scheme to staff at both agencies and met with SEC enforcement staff on multiple occasions. According to the SEC, the SEC's whistleblower program allows individuals who provide critical information to other agencies to be eligible for a related action award if they are also eligible for an award in the underlying SEC action.
The SEC has awarded approximately $1.1 billion to 214 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012.