Michael Forster Charged By SEC For Manipulative Trading Is Yet Free From Repercussions?

On May 4, 2022, the SEC filed a complaint alleging Michael Forster engaged in manipulative trading in connection with a microcap issuer he controlled. According to the SEC’s complaint, Michael Forster violated the antifraud provisions of Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder as well as Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933. Michael Forster consented to a court order that permanently enjoins him from violating these provisions, as well as permanently bars him from participating in the offering of a penny stock. The judgment is pending court approval.

SEC.gov | Michael Forster

Michael Forster was allegedly engaging in manipulative trading with a microcap issuer.

Michael Forster, a former trader for a multinational investment bank, has been charged with participating in manipulative trading operations by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the United States of America. Michael Forster is accused of participating in a conspiracy to artificially inflate the price of a stock by purchasing significant volumes of that stock and then engaging in trades to create the appearance of high demand for it. These allegations are at the heart of the charges against Michael Forster.

In 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into the conduct of Forster after the bank where he works discovered abnormal trading patterns in his account. Following the acquisition of considerable quantities of the stock in question, the inquiry discovered that Forster had utilized a variety of deceptive strategies in order to create the perception of a robust market for security.

Michael Forster
Michael Forster Charged By SEC For Manipulative Trading

Specifics Regarding the Plan

According to the complaint filed by the SEC, Michael Forster engaged in a range of manipulative strategies in order to artificially increase the price of the shares. These efforts include the following:

Forster is accused of engaging in a practice known as “wash trading,” in which he placed a number of buy and sell orders for the same stock without making any changes to the asset’s ownership in order to give the appearance of increased trading activity and price movement.

Forster is accused of engaging in a practice known as “spoofing,” in which he placed huge buy orders for a stock that he had no intention of really purchasing in order to give the impression that there is a high demand for the stock and so drive up the price.

Layering: According to the allegations, Forster placed a series of orders at varying pricing levels, with the goal of canceling them before they could be carried out. This strategy gave the impression that there was a robust market for the security, which prompted additional market participants to purchase the asset, which in turn drove up its price even further.

Michael Forster
Michael Forster Charged By SEC For Manipulative Trading

The Repercussions of Engaging in Manipulative Trading

Trading with the intent to deceive can have devastating effects not only on individual investors but also on the market as a whole. It has the potential to cause prices to skyrocket, which can be detrimental to investors who buy equities at falsely inflated prices. It can also weaken market confidence, leading investors to lose faith in the integrity and fairness of the financial system, which in turn can lead to a decline in market value.

In light of these worries, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has become much more diligent in its pursuit of identifying and punishing manipulative trading activities. In recent years, the agency has brought a number of high-profile cases against traders who engage in these tactics, with the intention of discouraging others from engaging in the same behavior in the years to come.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Christine Ely, Philip Fortino, Lindsay Moilanen, and Sheldon L. Pollock, and the case was supervised by Lara S. Mehraban and Mr. Pollock. The litigation will be led by Ms. Ely, Mr. Fortino, and Ms. Moilanen. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Provided by SEC.gov

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