Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Carnegie Trading Group, Ltd.

450 F. Supp. 2d 788, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43354, 2006 WL 2623886
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedJune 27, 2006
Docket1:04 CV 1403
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 450 F. Supp. 2d 788 (Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Carnegie Trading Group, Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Carnegie Trading Group, Ltd., 450 F. Supp. 2d 788, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43354, 2006 WL 2623886 (N.D. Ohio 2006).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

NUGENT, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court subsequent to a bench trial held from June 17, 2005 through June 23, 2005. Thereafter, the parties have filed post trial briefs on Plaintiffs claim and Defendants’ defenses. Plaintiff Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) filed this action against Defendants The Carnegie Trading Group, Ltd., Inc., (“Carnegie”), John Glasé, Reid Henshaw and John Hollenbaugh seeking injunctive and other equitable relief and civil penalties under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended *791 (the “Act”), 7 U.S.C. § 1, et seq. Plaintiff alleges that former Carnegie employees, Reid Henshaw and John Hollenbaugh, made false and misleading sales solicitations by touting enormous profit potential with minimal or no risk and distributed false and misleading advertisements regarding a trading program in violation of Sections 4b(a)(2)(i) and (iii) and 4c(b) of the Act and Regulation 33.10, 17 C.F.R. § 33.10 (2003). Further, the violations of Mr. Hollenbaugh and Mr. Henshaw were accomplished within the scope of their employment with Carnegie and therefore Carnegie is liable for those violations pursuant to Section 2(a)(1)(B) of the Act. Finally, Plaintiff alleges that Mr. Glasé is a controlling person of Carnegie and is liable for Carnegie’s acts constituting violations of the Act and Regulations. Additionally, Plaintiff contends that Mr. Glasé violated Commission Regulation 166.3, 17 C.F.R. § 166.3 (2003), by failing to supervise diligently the activities of Carnegie’s officers, employees, and agents relating to its business as a Commission registrant. Defendants Hollenbaugh and Henshaw settled with Plaintiff prior to trial. Plaintiff went to trial against Carnegie and Mr. Glasé.

Mr. Hollenbaugh and Mr. Henshaw signed Consent Orders of Permanent Injunction (“Consent Orders”) that were filed with the Court on December 14, 2005. In the Consent Orders, Mr. Hollenbaugh and Mr. Henshaw admit that they violated Sections 4b(a)(2)(i) and (iii) and 4c(b) of the Act and Regulation 33.10.

FINDINGS OF FACT

CFTC, Carnegie and Mr. Glasé submitted the following Joint Stipulations of Uncontested Fact 1 :

1.The CFTC is the independent federal regulatory agency charged with the responsibility for administering and enforcing the provisions of the Act. The CFTC is authorized by Section 6c of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 13a-l (2001), to bring a civil action to enjoin any act or practice constituting a violation of the Act, to enforce compliance with the Act, and to seek civil penalties.

2. Defendant Carnegie is an Ohio corporation, incorporated in February 1997 with its principal place of business at 1701 East 12th Street, Cleveland, Ohio. Carnegie operated pursuant to a guarantee agreement with LFG, LLC (“LFG”), which was purchased by Refco, Inc., (“Ref-co”), a registered futures commission merchant (“FCM”), from 1997 until July 2003, when Carnegie became a guaranteed introducing broker (“IB”) of Man Financial, Ltd. (“Man”), a registered FCM. As a result, all of Carnegie’s customers maintained accounts at LFG, Refco or Man. At various times during the relevant period, Carnegie’s Branch Offices were located in Canal Fulton, Columbus and Barberton, Ohio and St. Petersburg, Florida and San Diego, California (“Branch Office”).

3. John Glasé currently resides in Bay Village, Ohio. He is president and has been at least a 45% owner of Carnegie since February 1997. Mr. Glasé has been registered with the Commission as an associated person (“AP”) of Carnegie since March 17,1997.

4. John Hollenbaugh rejoined Carnegie as an AP in July 2002 and was the manager of Carnegie’s Canal Fulton, Ohio branch office from July 2002 until September 2003, when the office closed, and Hollenbaugh voluntarily withdrew his AP registration.

5. From its commencement in February 1997 until in or about November 2001, Carnegie’s principals were Mr. Glasé and William Edwards. A third principal was *792 Seth Hirschfeld, who owned 9% of Carnegie’s capital stock.

6. Mr. Glasé began trading in commodities in 1972, and has been continuously engaged in the industry since then. He was registered through Merrill Lynch from 1983-96, where he was Vice President in charge of regional futures and options trading until the Merrill Lynch commodity division closed; then with JC Bradford, whose commodity division closed during 1997. He has never been subject to disciplinary proceedings before the National Futures Association (“NFA”) or any exchange. He has testified as an expert on copper hedging in civil litigation.

7. Mr. Hollenbaugh and Mr. Henshaw worked at the Branch Office in Canal Fulton, Ohio.

8. Each Branch Office had a Branch Office Manager. In order to become registered with the CFTC as an AP a person must take and pass the Series 3 exam. To be designated as a Branch Manager with the NFA a person must pass the Series 3 exam.

9. No applicant was fully registered as an AP by the NFA until the Series 3 examination was successfully completed, at which time the applicant would be registered as an AP.

10. NFA audited Carnegie’s main office in Cleveland in 1999 and 2002. NFA also audited Carnegie’s Canal Fulton office in 2002. Refco engaged Compliance Supervisors, Inc. of New Jersey to perform on-site inspections of both Cleveland and Canal Fulton offices in 2001, Cleveland in 2002, and both Cleveland and Canal Fulton in 2003.

11. As to Carnegie’s Canal Fulton Branch Office, NFA’s audit was followed by a letter addressed to the Branch Office manager of Carnegie.

12. The Canal Fulton Branch Office used LFG-Refco’s equity runs, trade tickets and computerized AIM and LEO systems.

13. The Canal Fulton branch was initially an outgrowth of the Barberton Branch Office, managed by Chris Master-son from 1999 until in or about August 2000. Canal Fulton was then established and conducted trading until February 2001, when Mr. Masterson, Mr. Hollenbaugh and others formed Phoenix Trading Group of Ohio, Inc., (“Phoenix”). Mr. Hollenbaugh returned to Carnegie in or about July 2002. Canal Fulton had no more than five APs at any time, at least three of whom, i.e. Mr. Hollenbaugh, Anthony Harris and Keith Hale, were designated branch managers with NFA.

14. The designated Branch Office manager of the Canal Fulton Branch Office during 2003 was Mr. Hollenbaugh, who was initially hired by Carnegie in 1999. Mr. Hollenbaugh became Vice President and Principal with Phoenix in February 2001 and rejoined Carnegie in July 2002. He was designated as a branch, manager for Carnegie as early as September 2000, and was again designated as a branch manager on September 6, 2002.

15. Mr. Henshaw first registered as an AP with Phoenix on June 2, 2002. When Mr.

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450 F. Supp. 2d 788, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43354, 2006 WL 2623886, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commodity-futures-trading-commission-v-carnegie-trading-group-ltd-ohnd-2006.