New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Former SAC Capital trader Mathew Martoma has been found guilty of insider trading in what is being called the most lucrative hedge fund insider trading cases ever prosecuted.

“As the jury unanimously found, Mathew Martoma cultivated and purchased the confidence of doctors with secret knowledge of an experimental Alzheimer’s drug, and used it to engage in illegal insider trading.” Preet Bharara said in a statement following the conviction.

“Martoma bought the answer sheet before the exam – more than once – netting a quarter billion dollars in profits and losses avoided for SAC, as well as a $9 million bonus for him. In the short run, cheating may have been profitable for Martoma, but in the end, it made him a convicted felon, and likely will result in the forfeiture of his illegal windfall and the loss of his liberty. Mathew Martoma becomes the 79th person convicted of insider trading after trial or by guilty plea in this District in the last four years.” Bharara concluded.

Martoma, a former portfolio manager for a division of a group of SAC-affiliated hedge funds, allegedly used inside information that he received from a doctor who served as an adviser to Elan Corporation PLC on the clinical trial of an Alzheimer’s Disease drug to make profits and avoid losses for the hedge fund. Martoma and his then-employer, SAC Capital Advisors, liquidated holdings in two companies after receiving insider information, the prosecution said.

Alex Akesson
Editor for HedgeCo.net
alex@hedgeco.net
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