Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Marvell Finance Employee with Insider Trading Conspiracy

2011-08-11

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and JANICE K. FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that STANLEY NG, formerly the SEC reporting manager at Marvell Technology Group, Ltd. (“Marvell”), was arrested this morning on charges relating to his involvement in an insider trading scheme. NG has been charged with conspiring to commit securities fraud and wire fraud by providing material, nonpublic information (“Inside Information”) about Marvell to WINIFRED JIAU, for the purpose of executing profitable securities transactions.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney PREET BHARARA stated: “Incredibly, the person designated the SEC reporting manager for Marvell was allegedly using his special access to non-public information to violate the very federal securities laws he was supposed to be assuring compliance with. As alleged, Stanley Ng and his co-conspirators traded inside information as casually as some people trade baseball cards. Like so many others recently, he will now be held to account in a court of law.”

FBI Assistant Director in Charge JANICE K. FEDARCYK stated: “Stanley Ng was the tipper, providing valuable and detailed information to Jiau, in violation of his confidentiality agreement. When Ng passed the inside information to others so they could trade on it, Ng violated the law. The FBI is committed to vigorous enforcement of that law.”

According to the complaint unsealed today in Manhattan federal court, other court documents, and testimony from the trial of co-conspirator Winifred Jiau:

While employed at Marvell in the finance department as the SEC reporting manager, NG, and SON NGOC NGUYEN, who was employed in the finance department of NVIDIA Corporation (“NVIDIA”), were recruited to join an “investment club” with JIAU. As part of the investment club, NG and NGUYEN agreed to provide JIAU with Inside Information regarding Marvell and NVIDIA, respectively. In exchange, JIAU agreed to provide them with stock tips received from other individuals.

The Inside Information that NG and NGUYEN provided, included detailed, non-public financial earnings of Marvell and NVIDIA, before the companies publicly announced their financial results. NG had access to Marvell’s non-public earnings results as a result of his position as the SEC Reporting Manager at Marvell, a position he held since 2002.

For example, in May 2008 and August 2008, NG provided JIAU with detailed and accurate financial results for Marvell. At various times, JIAU and NGUYEN purchased Marvell stock based on Inside Information provided by NG. In addition, JIAU sold the Inside Information that she received from NG to portfolio managers at hedge funds—including SAMIR BARAI and NOAH FREEMAN—who in turn used the Inside Information to execute securities transactions in Marvell stock.

NG, 42, was arrested at his residence in Cupertino, California. He has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, which carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. NG was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernard Zimmerman in the Northern District of California earlier today.

JIAU, 43, of Fremont, California, was previously convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, and one count of securities fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jed S. RAKOFF on September 21, 2011.

NGUYEN, 39, of San Jose, California, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge RAKOFF on November 29, 2011.

BARAI, 39, of New York, New York, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, one count of securities fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of obstruction of justice. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge DEBORAH A. BATTS on August 29, 2011.

FREEMAN, 35, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, and one count of securities fraud.

Mr. BHARARA praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and thanked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for its assistance. He also noted that the investigation is continuing.

This case was brought in coordination with President BARACK OBAMA’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, on which Mr. BHARARA serves as a co-chair of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group. President OBAMA established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

Source: U. S. Federal Bureau of Investigation