SEC issues whistleblower awards totaling nearly $5.3 million

Securities Whistleblower Enforcement Investigations SEC

On June 21, the SEC announced whistleblower awards to four individuals totaling nearly $5.3 million for information provided in separate enforcement actions. According to the first redacted order, the SEC awarded a whistleblower nearly $4 million for voluntarily providing original information to the Commission, leading to a successful enforcement action. The whistleblower also “provided extraordinary assistance,” participated in interviews, identified key witnesses, and provided documents to staff which led to a successful enforcement action. In the second redacted order, the SEC awarded three individuals a total of approximately $1.3 million. The first whistleblower, who received the largest award, provided substantial ongoing assistance that “saved the Enforcement staff considerable time and resources.” The other two whistleblowers provided important information concerning misconduct but did not provide any investigative leads.

The SEC has awarded approximately $937 million to 178 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012.