NOTE: Stipulations of Fact and Consent to Penalty (SFC); Offers of Settlement (OS); and Letters of Acceptance Waiver, and Consent (AWC) are entered into by Respondents without admitting or denying the allegations, but consent is given to the described sanctions & to the entry of findings. Additionally, for AWCs, if FINRA has reason to believe a violation has occurred and the member or associated person does not dispute the violation, FINRA may prepare and request that the member or associated person execute a letter accepting a finding of violation, consenting to the imposition of sanctions, and agreeing to waive such member's or associated person's right to a hearing before a hearing panel, and any right of appeal to the National Adjudicatory Council, the SEC, and the courts, or to otherwise challenge the validity of the letter, if the letter is accepted. The letter shall describe the act or practice engaged in or omitted, the rule, regulation, or statutory provision violated, and the sanction or sanctions to be imposed.

NAME REDACTED
OS/2009018050201

While employed as a risk arbitrage research analyst with a member firm, REDACTED lied during conference calls convened for him to respond to questions FINRA posed regarding his involvement in Internet blogging activity.

Throughout his employment with the firm as a research analyst,REDACTED regularly posted responses to columns and articles published on Internet financial blog/media sites.REDACTED made his blog postings using different aliases and posted his comments on the blog sites during business hours using his firm computer.

NAME REDACTED: Fined $5,000; Suspended 6 months

Tags: Internet  Website