2023-09-19 sec-litreleases litigation_release 65 KB 2,703 chars

SEC v. Robert Del Prete, No. LR-25836, District of New Jersey (Sept. 19, 2023) — Press Release

raw: Robert Del Prete

Robert Del Prete, No. 3:23-cv-20452 (D.N.J. Sept. 19, 2023)

Caption
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION v. DEL PRETE
summary

Robert Del Prete, a former HighCape accounting consultant, was charged with insider trading for using merger information to realize a $60,170 profit and agreed to a settlement including a director bar.

paragraph

The SEC charged Robert Del Prete with violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 for insider trading related to HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp.’s merger with Quantum-Si Incorporated. Del Prete realized approximately $60,170 in profits by trading on material non-public information obtained during board meetings. His settlement includes a permanent injunction, a bar from serving as a public company officer or director, and pending payments for disgorgement and penalties.

narrative

Robert Del Prete, an accounting consultant for HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp., was charged by the SEC for insider trading ahead of a merger with Quantum-Si Incorporated. After attending board meetings where the deal was discussed, Del Prete purchased shares just before the public announcement and liquidated his position for a $60,170 profit. He also allegedly misled HighCape’s CFO regarding his knowledge of the merger. In addition to SEC charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey filed parallel criminal charges. Del Prete consented to a settlement that includes a permanent injunction and a bar from acting as a public company officer or director. He must also pay disgorgement, interest, and civil penalties, the exact amounts of which are to be determined by the court.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
insider-trading (100%)
Court
District of New Jersey
Case No.
3:23-cv-20452
Outcome
settled
Entity
Robert Del Prete
Classified insider-trading(confidence 100%). EDGAR detection: forms 4/3/5/144· recall 81% / precision 19%. detection rule →
Parties
Securities and Exchange CommissionRobert Del Prete
Keywords
delpretesecurities exchangeexchange commissionexchangerobertsecuritieshighcapehighcape'scommission robertaccounting consultantinsider tradingshares highcapeplanned mergerexchange thereunder

Exhibits & Attached Documents (1)

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 1
  • $60K $60,170 $10K–$100K
Entities 3
  • person robert del prete
  • agency Securities and Exchange Commission
  • agency U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey
Triples 11
  • Securities And Exchange Commission charged Robert Del Prete with insider trading in the shares of HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp
  • Robert Del Prete was present at HighCape board meetings on January 27 and February 17, 2021
  • Robert Del Prete bought shares of HighCape on February 17, 2021
  • Robert Del Prete liquidated his position, realizing an approximate one‑hundred percent profit of $60,170
  • Robert Del Prete falsely reported to HighCape's Chief Financial Officer that he was not aware of the planned merger before the press release
  • Robert Del Prete has consented to entry of a judgment permanently enjoining him from violating Section 10(b) and barring him from acting as an officer or director of a public company
  • Robert Del Prete agreed to pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest and a civil money penalty
  • U.S. Attorney's Office For The District Of New Jersey filed criminal charges against Robert Del Prete
  • Securities And Exchange Commission Investigation was conducted by Ibrahim Sajalieu Bah of the New York Regional Office
  • Investigation was supervised by Celeste Chase and Thomas P. Smith, Jr.
  • Securities And Exchange Commission appreciates assistance of U.S. Attorney's Office For The District Of New Jersey, Federal Bureau Of Investigation, and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
Text layers
Extracted body text (2,703c)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25836 / September 19, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert Del Prete., No. 3:23-cv-20452 (D.N.J. filed Sept. 18, 2023) SEC Charges Former SPAC Accounting Consultant with Insider Trading The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Robert Del Prete with insider trading in the shares of HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp. ("HighCape"), a special purpose acquisition company, on the basis of material non-public information relating to its merger with Quantum-Si Incorporated ("QSI"). According to the SEC's complaint, Del Prete, an accounting consultant to HighCape, was present at HighCape's board meetings on January 27 and February 17, 2021 at which the planned merger with QSI was discussed. The complaint alleges that Del Prete, who had agreed to keep HighCape's proprietary information confidential, bought shares of HighCape on February 17, 2021, less than an hour after attending the board meeting that day. The complaint further alleges that, within hours of HighCape's February 18, 2021 press release announcing the deal, Del Prete liquidated his position, realizing an approximate one-hundred percent profit of $60,170 from his illegal trading. According to the complaint, when later questioned about his trades, Del Prete falsely reported to HighCape's Chief Financial Officer that he was not aware of the planned merger before the press release, although the two had been working on various aspects of the deal from at least January 27, 2021. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, charged Del Prete with violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Del Prete, without admitting or denying the allegations, has consented to the entry of a judgment permanently enjoining him from violating Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and barring him from acting as an officer or director of a public company. Del Prete also agreed to pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest and a civil money penalty, in amounts to be determined by the court at a later date. The proposed settlement is subject to court approval. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey filed criminal charges against Del Prete. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Ibrahim Sajalieu Bah of the New York Regional Office. The investigation was supervised by Celeste Chase and Thomas P. Smith, Jr. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. SEC Complaint
OCR text (2,703c · html-text · 99% conf)
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 25836 / September 19, 2023 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert Del Prete., No. 3:23-cv-20452 (D.N.J. filed Sept. 18, 2023) SEC Charges Former SPAC Accounting Consultant with Insider Trading The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Robert Del Prete with insider trading in the shares of HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp. ("HighCape"), a special purpose acquisition company, on the basis of material non-public information relating to its merger with Quantum-Si Incorporated ("QSI"). According to the SEC's complaint, Del Prete, an accounting consultant to HighCape, was present at HighCape's board meetings on January 27 and February 17, 2021 at which the planned merger with QSI was discussed. The complaint alleges that Del Prete, who had agreed to keep HighCape's proprietary information confidential, bought shares of HighCape on February 17, 2021, less than an hour after attending the board meeting that day. The complaint further alleges that, within hours of HighCape's February 18, 2021 press release announcing the deal, Del Prete liquidated his position, realizing an approximate one-hundred percent profit of $60,170 from his illegal trading. According to the complaint, when later questioned about his trades, Del Prete falsely reported to HighCape's Chief Financial Officer that he was not aware of the planned merger before the press release, although the two had been working on various aspects of the deal from at least January 27, 2021. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, charged Del Prete with violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. Del Prete, without admitting or denying the allegations, has consented to the entry of a judgment permanently enjoining him from violating Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and barring him from acting as an officer or director of a public company. Del Prete also agreed to pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest and a civil money penalty, in amounts to be determined by the court at a later date. The proposed settlement is subject to court approval. In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey filed criminal charges against Del Prete. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Ibrahim Sajalieu Bah of the New York Regional Office. The investigation was supervised by Celeste Chase and Thomas P. Smith, Jr. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. SEC Complaint