I kind of love the randomness of this news story: Toby Scammell, who works at an investment firm in California, has been charged with insider trading for buying up Marvel stock after finding out from his girlfriend – who works in Disney’s corporate strategies department – that the House of Mouse was planning to buy the House of Ideas. But, wait, it gets better: The money he used to buy the stock, which rose in value 25% once the Disney deal was made public? It wasn’t even his; he took the money from his brother’s bank account, which he had access to while his brother was serving in Iraq.
Scammell – and that name is almost too perfect, don’t you think? – reportedly made around $192,000 in profit when he sold his stocks soon after the Disney/Marvel buyout was announced. Rosalind R. Tyson, director of the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office, said that Scammell “exploited his romantic relationship for a financial windfall,” leading to the SEC asking for him to pay back all $192,00 with interest, as well as seeking a permanent injunction on his working in investments ever again. Clearly, he didn’t get his moral compass from comic books. If he had, he’d have known in advance that crime never pays.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Crime pays all the time.
Insider trading also pays tons.
If you don’t believe me, check out Wall Street.
His only crime was that he was not associated with a ‘too-big-too-fail’ bank.
SG.