CFTC awards $6 million to whistleblower for CEA action

Securities Enforcement CFTC Whistleblower

On June 9, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced a more than $6 million whistleblower award to a claimant who reported “specific, credible and timely” information that led to a successful Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) enforcement action. The associated order notes that the claimant voluntarily provided original information leading to the opening of an investigation and the enforcement action, and was under no “legal obligation” to provide the information. The CFTC notes that while five claimants submitted whistleblower award applications to the CFTC in response to the covered action, the CFTC provided the award only to claimant one, as three of the other claimants failed to contest a preliminary determination in favor of the award to the successful whistleblower, constituting a failure to exhaust administrative remedies. The order provides limited details on the fifth claimant’s objections to the denial, but notes the CFTC determined that the claimant’s “arguments are baseless.” The order does not provide any other significant details about the information provided or the related enforcement action. The CFTC has awarded over $110 million to whistleblowers since the enactment of the Whistleblower Program under the Dodd-Frank Act, and their information has led to nearly $900 million in monetary relief.