As part of a settlement with the SEC, international political intelligence firm Marwood Group Research has admitted wrongdoing in leaking intelligence gathered from government employees at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Food & Drug Administration about pending regulatory issues.
Marwood is a Securities and Exchange Commission-registered investment advisor.
The settlement is not significant because of the fine ($375,000) but because it is another step in the SEC’s efforts to have more offenders admit to rule-breaking, which can be used as evidence against them in private suits. The alternative is that they accept a sanction without acknowledging they broke laws.
In the settlement with an administrative law judge, the SEC contended Marwood analysts failed to notify the company’s compliance department, as required, that they were collecting the inside information from health agency employees and giving it to hedge funds and other clients before it was publicly released.
The SEC has received admissions in over 30 cases involving 45 entitles and individuals since 2012 when the agency took its tougher stand on firms admitting wrongdoing.