matthew tannin.jpgIt seems we will have Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin to kick around for a while longer. The two men may have escaped the long arm of the law, winning an acquittal on fraud and insider-trading charges earlier this week, but the SEC isn’t discouraged.
The regulator will proceed with its own case against the two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers, SEC Enforcement Chief Robert Khuzami said. And why not? “We filed a case based on the evidence from our own investigation,” Khuzami noted, politely failing to mention the cock-up of an investigation run by the U.S. Attorney’s office. There’s also the “different standard of proof” for a civil trial, under which even the incompetent prosecutors could probably win a conviction. And finally, there are those incompetent prosecutors, lighting the way to failure.
“We will study the transcript and events at trial,” Khuzami said, then mumbling, “and do the exact opposite.”
US SEC expects to proceed with Bear Stearns case [Reuters]

Comments (13)

  1. Posted by Outraged | November 13, 2009 at 11:47 AM

    Isn’t this called double jeopardy? They won their case. The state should leave them alone and find other people to prosecute, rather than grandstand for the media and further ruin these people’s lives.

  2. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 11:52 AM

    Don’t fuck with Rob Khuzami… He prosecuted the first WTC bombers and a metric ass ton of NYC Mafia.

  3. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 11:53 AM

    Jon, what are you saying: the fact that prosecutors over-reached means the SEC doesn’t have a good case? Not true; the SEC civil case is exactly what should have been brought in the first case and it should have been the only government case brought ever. Not the SEC’s fault that the guys out in Brooklyn were desperate to steal some of the financial disaster glory from their Southern District counterparts …

  4. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 12:02 PM

    The SEC is proceeding, as in, proceeding to trial? or will our heroes have an opportunity to settle without admitting any wrongdoing?

  5. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 12:02 PM

    @1 No because the SEC case is a civil case not a criminal case

  6. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 12:03 PM

    @1 Double jeopardy applies to being tried twice for the same crime. Does not apply to civil proceedings.

  7. Posted by CoveredLong | November 13, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    @1 Double jeopardy applies to being tried twice for the same crime. Does not apply to civil proceedings.

  8. Posted by CoveredLong | November 13, 2009 at 12:21 PM

    @6/7 – Double Jeopardy!

  9. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    @1 Ruin these peoples lives?
    You gotta be shitting me.

  10. Posted by Anal_yst | November 13, 2009 at 12:41 PM

    Were I a betting man my money would not be on the SEC.

  11. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 1:18 PM

    A lotta’ prison bears are gonna’ be disappointed if these two don’t go in the can. But Zvi is probably better prison snatch, anyway.

  12. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 1:26 PM

    @1 – remember, OJ was found civilly liable for Nicole Simpson’s death after the acquittal in the criminal trial. The Browns and the Goldmans pursued him relentlessly, if unsuccessfully, to enforce their judgment and attempt to see that he never made another dollar or had another asset (damn that Florida Homestead Exemption!)
    Hence the joke:
    Q. Name the last Jewish guy to get the Heisman trophy
    A. Fred Goldman

  13. Posted by guest | November 13, 2009 at 1:31 PM

    this article blows,thanks for another shitty piece jon.
    @1=fucking idiot

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