The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) obtains billions of dollars each year in monetary sanctions for violations of the federal securities laws. An enforcement action resolving charges typically requires the wrongdoer to provide the following relief:
Since 2012, the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower has paid more than $1.8 billion in awards to whistleblowers, which includes multi-million dollar awards paid to our clients. The largest SEC whistleblower awards to date are $279 million, $114 million, and $110 million.
To find out if you may qualify for an SEC whistleblower award, contact leading whistleblower law firm Zuckerman Law at 202-930-5901 or email us at mstock@zuckermanlaw.com. We represent whistleblowers worldwide.
Annually, the SEC announces the total monetary sanctions obtained from successful enforcement actions. The table below identifies the total illegal profits that securities violators were required to disgorge and the total penalties they were required to pay.
Fiscal Year | Disgorgement | Penalties |
---|---|---|
2023 | $3.369 billion | $1.580 billion |
2022 | $2.245 billion | $4.194 billion |
2021 | $2.4 billion | $1.4 billion |
2020 | $3.589 billion | $1.091 billion |
2019 | $3.248 billion | $1.101 billion |
2018 | $2.506 billion | $1.439 billion |
2017 | $2.957 billion | $832 million |
2016 | $2.809 billion | $1.273 billion |
2015 | $3.019 billion | $1.175 billion |
2014 | $4.16 billion total | $4.16 billion total |
2013 | $2.257 billion | $1.167 billion |
2012 | $2.083 billion | $1.021 billion |
2011 | $1.878 billion | $928 million |
2010 | $1.82 billion | $1.03 billion |
2009 | $2.09 billion | $345 million |
2008 | $774 million | $256 million |
2007 | $1.093 billion | $507 million |
2006 | $2.3 billion | $975 million |
2005 | $1.6 billion | $1.5 billion |
2004 | $1.9 billion | $1.2 billion |
For more information about SEC sanctions, see a recent speech by the SEC’s Division of Enforcement: Remedies and Relief in SEC Enforcement Actions.
In its short history, the SEC Whistleblower Program has had a tremendous impact on securities enforcement. Since the inception of the program in August 2011, the SEC has received more than 60,000 whistleblower tips, some of which have enabled the SEC to order more than $6.3 billion in monetary sanctions from wrongdoers. According to the SEC Office of the Whistleblower’s annual report, the SEC received more than 12,300 tips in FY 2022. The most common complaint categories reported by whistleblowers were Manipulation (21%), Offering Fraud (17%), Initial Coin Offerings and Cryptocurrencies (14%), and Corporate Disclosures and Financials (13%). See some of the SEC whistleblower cases that have resulted in large awards.
For more information about the SEC Whistleblower Program, download the eBook: SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys to Maximize an SEC Whistleblower Award.
A tip about any violation of U.S. federal securities laws may qualify a whistleblower for an award under the SEC Whistleblower Program, including:
If you would like more information on the SEC Whistleblower Program, contact an SEC Whistleblower Attorney at Zuckerman Law for a free, confidential consultation. Zuckerman Law is one of the nation’s leading law firms representing whistleblowers in whistleblower rewards and retaliation cases.
Click below to hear SEC whistleblower lawyer Matt Stock‘s tips for SEC whistleblowers: