U.S. CFTC Imposes Trading Bans on FTX Co-Founder Gary Wang and Former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison

Odaily News – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has entered supplemental consent orders against Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research, and Gary Wang, co-founder of FTX.

Under the court orders, Ellison and Wang are required to continue cooperating with the CFTC's investigation, while also facing trading and registration restrictions. Specifically, Ellison received a 5-year trading ban and a 10-year registration ban; Wang received a 5-year trading ban and an 8-year registration ban. The relevant restriction periods begin from the date of the initial consent order, which was signed on December 23, 2022.

Previously, on December 23, 2022, the court found Ellison liable for two counts of fraud alleged by the CFTC, and found Wang liable for one count of fraud. Their initial consent orders permanently prohibited them from violating the Commodity Exchange Act and the CFTC's related anti-fraud regulations.

The head of the CFTC's Division of Enforcement, David I. Miller, stated that this ruling reflects the regulator's emphasis on "effective cooperation." Although Ellison and Wang, as executives of Alameda and FTX, were involved in the relevant fraudulent conduct and were held liable, the regulator granted leniency in light of their significant assistance in the FTX-related investigations.

The CFTC stated that it will not currently require Ellison and Wang to pay restitution, disgorgement, or civil monetary penalties, primarily considering the extent of their cooperation in the investigations and related criminal cases, as well as the $11.02 billion asset forfeiture order involved in the U.S. criminal case. Both individuals have previously pleaded guilty in their criminal cases, including admitting to conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and multiple other charges.