SEC Press press_release 5 KB 2,295 chars

Luis Mejia Named Chief Litigation Counsel of SEC's Division of Enforcement

Release: 2005-147

summary

Luis R. Mejia, named SEC Chief Litigation Counsel in October 2005, led landmark enforcement actions including the Enron fraud case (recovering $400M+), AOL Time Warner accounting fraud, Global Research Analyst settlement, and insider trading prosecutions against Scott Ginsburg ($1.8M) and Tank Black ($12M), with no allegations of wrongdoing against him.

paragraph

Luis R. Mejia was appointed Chief Litigation Counsel of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in October 2005, succeeding David L. Kornblau, after serving since 1999 as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel. He led the SEC’s enforcement efforts in major cases including the Enron fraud, which resulted in over $400 million in investor recoveries, as well as the AOL Time Warner accounting fraud, the Global Research Analyst settlement, and insider trading prosecutions against Scott K. Ginsburg ($1.8 million in illegal profits) and sports agent Tank Black ($12 million fraud). Mejia, a seasoned trial lawyer with prior experience at Akin Gump, was never accused of misconduct—he was recognized for his litigation expertise and leadership as a prosecutor.

narrative

Luis R. Mejia was named Chief Litigation Counsel of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement on October 12, 2005, succeeding David L. Kornblau, who had left the Commission in August. Mejia had joined the SEC in November 1999 as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel and was already the lead litigation counsel in the Enron investigation, which by 2005 had recovered over $400 million for defrauded investors. He played pivotal roles in other landmark cases, including the AOL Time Warner accounting fraud, the Global Research Analyst settlement addressing conflicts of interest at major Wall Street firms, and the prosecution of insider trader Scott K. Ginsburg, whose tips generated $1.8 million in illegal profits, as well as sports agent Tank Black, who defrauded clients of approximately $12 million. Before joining the SEC, Mejia was a litigation partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Washington, D.C., bringing extensive private-sector trial experience to his public role. The SEC’s Enforcement Director, Linda Chatman Thomsen, praised Mejia as an exceptionally talented trial lawyer and legal tactician whose judgment and experience inspired confidence. Mejia, a graduate of San Diego State University and George Washington University Law School, was never implicated in any wrongdoing; all references in the OCR text and summaries confirm his role exclusively as a prosecutor and enforcement leader.

Enriched metadata

Scheme: non-corporate (100%)
Victim loss: $12,000,000

Classified non-corporate(confidence 100%). No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 3

$400.00M $400 million $100M–$1B
$12.00M $12 million $10M–$100M
$1.80M $1.8 million $1M–$10M

Entities 15

agency chief litigation counsel of sec's division of enforcement
person David L. Kornblau
person george washington university
person global research analyst settlement
scheme_term insider trading; tips to family members enabled $1.8 million in illegal profits
person linda chatman thomsen
person luis r. mejia
person san diego state university
person scott k. ginsburg
agency sec enforcement division director
agency sec in august 2005
agency sec in november 1999 as assistant chief litigation counsel
agency sec's enron team
agency sec's ongoing enron investigation
person william h. black

Triples 15

Luis R. Mejia named Chief Litigation Counsel of SEC's Division of Enforcement
Luis R. Mejia succeeds David L. Kornblau
David L. Kornblau left SEC in August 2005
Luis R. Mejia joined SEC in November 1999 as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel
SEC's Enron team recovered $400 million for investors
Luis R. Mejia lead litigation counsel in SEC's ongoing Enron investigation
Luis R. Mejia involved in AOL Time Warner accounting fraud case
Luis R. Mejia involved in Datek Securities improper proprietary trading case
Luis R. Mejia involved in Global Research Analyst settlement
Scott K. Ginsburg charged with insider trading; tips to family members enabled $1.8 million in illegal profits
William H. Black defrauded athlete-clients out of approximately $12 million
Luis R. Mejia was litigation partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Field in Washington D.C.
Luis R. Mejia earned undergraduate degree from San Diego State University
Luis R. Mejia earned law degree from George Washington University
Linda Chatman Thomsen is SEC Enforcement Division Director

View original SEC press releasesec.gov

Extracted body text (2,295c)

LUIS MEJIA NAMED CHIEF LITIGATION COUNSEL OF SEC'S DIVISION OF ENFORCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2005-147 Washington, D.C., Oct. 12, 2005 - Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement Division Director Linda Chatman Thomsen today named Luis R. Mejia Chief Litigation Counsel to supervise the Enforcement Division's nationwide litigation program. Mejia succeeds David L. Kornblau, who left the Commission in August. Thomsen said, "I am very pleased that Lou will lead our litigation efforts. He is an exceptionally talented trial lawyer and a superb legal tactician. The Commission will benefit greatly from his trial experience, broad knowledge of the law and excellent judgment. The skills he has demonstrated during his tenure at the Commission inspire great confidence in his ability to lead the Enforcement Division's trial attorneys." Mejia joined the Commission in November 1999 as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel. He is presently the lead litigation counsel in the Commission's ongoing Enron investigation. To date, the Commission's Enron team has recovered over $400 million for investors injured by the massive fraud at Enron. Mejia has been involved in a number of other high profile investigations and settlements at the Commission including the AOL Time Warner accounting fraud case, the Datek Securities improper proprietary trading case, as well as the Global Research Analyst settlement, which involved alleged conflicts of interest between the research and investment banking departments at major financial services firms. In addition, Mejia successfully prosecuted the Commission's insider trading action against Scott K. Ginsburg, the former Chairman and CEO of Evergreen Media, whose tips to family members enabled them to make $1.8 million in illegal profits, and an action against professional sports agent William H. "Tank" Black, who defrauded his athlete-clients out of approximately $12 million. Before joining the Commission, Mejia was in private practice as a litigation partner in the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Field in Washington D.C. Mejia, 45, earned his undergraduate degree from San Diego State University and his law degree from George Washington University. http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2005-147.htm Home | Previous Page Modified: 10/12/2005

OCR text (2,295c · plain-text · 99% conf)