The U.S. SEC announced awards of approximately $40 million to two whistleblowers whose information and assistance contributed to the success of an SEC enforcement action. The first whistleblower, whose information caused the opening of the investigation and exposed difficult-to-detect violations, will receive an award of approximately $32 million. The second whistleblower will receive approximately $8 million for submitting important new information even though he waited several years to report to the Commission.
Whistleblowing has long since become a billion-dollar business in the United States, involving whistleblowers, lawyers, and private investigators. It is a lucrative business. Over the last seven days, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced awards totaling more than $4.7M. The SEC has awarded approximately $752 million to 138 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012.
The U.S. Whistleblower programs of regulators such as the SEC and CFTC are becoming a lucrative business for agencies that focus on the procurement of whistleblower information. This includes activities outside the U.S. This week the SEC awarded $900,000 for the detection of securities law violations overseas. Whistleblowers get their award
In the fiscal year 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dealt with 715 regulatory enforcement actions addressing a broad range of significant issues. Through these actions, the SEC obtained judgments and orders totaling approximately $4.68 billion in disgorgement and penalties and returned more than $600 million to harmed investors. The Commission awarded a record $175 million to 39 whistleblowers, both the highest dollar amount and the highest number of individuals awarded in any previous fiscal year.
Whistleblowers are probably the most powerful weapon of law, tax, and regulatory enforcement to combat fraud and scams. Often, only with the information of insiders can the ultimate beneficial owners behind cybercrime organizations be identified and their illegal activities be exposed. This information is worth a lot of money. The SEC has this week awarded more than €32 million in rewards and whistleblowers.