SEC Press press_release 9 KB 5,968 chars

Peter Bresnan and Walter Ricciardi Named Deputy Directors of the SEC's Division of Enforcement

Release
2005-154
summary

Peter Bresnan and Walter Ricciardi were appointed Deputy Directors of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in 2005, recognized for their leadership in high-profile enforcement actions—including the $5.5B WorldCom penalty and $420M market timing recoveries—without any allegation of personal misconduct.

paragraph

Peter H. Bresnan and Walter G. Ricciardi were named Deputy Directors of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement on October 27, 2005, following distinguished careers as enforcers, not subjects, of SEC investigations. Bresnan led landmark cases including the largest civil penalty in SEC history—$5.5 billion against WorldCom—and recovered $420 million from market timing abuses at Putnam and other firms. Ricciardi oversaw investigations resulting in fraud charges against Biopure, Transkaryotic Therapies, and Brite Business, while fostering coordinated enforcement with state and criminal authorities, with neither individual facing any charges or allegations of wrongdoing.

narrative

On October 27, 2005, the SEC announced the appointment of Peter H. Bresnan and Walter G. Ricciardi as Deputy Directors of its Division of Enforcement, recognizing their extensive experience and leadership in investor protection. Bresnan, who joined the SEC in 1995, served as Associate Director and led the enforcement team in the WorldCom case, securing the largest civil penalty ever imposed under federal securities laws, and spearheaded the $420 million recovery from market timing fraud at Putnam, Massachusetts Financial Services, and FleetBoston subsidiaries. He also handled the SEC’s first litigated yield-burning case and its first fraud case against an offshore hedge fund involving $393 million in losses. Ricciardi, who joined in 2004 as Boston District Administrator, oversaw investigations that led to fraud charges against Biopure Corporation, Transkaryotic Therapies, and Brite Business, and played a key role in the first criminal charges related to bank conversion fraud at New Alliance Bancshares. Both men were praised by SEC Enforcement Director Linda Thomsen for their integrity, fairness, and excellence, with no suggestion of personal misconduct. Prior to the SEC, Bresnan was a litigator at Davis Polk & Wardwell, while Ricciardi rose to lead litigation at PricewaterhouseCoopers and served on its global governance boards. Their new roles were effective immediately, though they continued their prior duties until replacements were named.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
non-corporate (100%)
Court
District of Columbia
Classified non-corporate(confidence 100%). No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →
Parties
linda thomsenpeter bresnanthe sec's boston officethe sec's division of enforcementthe securities and exchange commissionwalter ricciardi
Keywords
bresnanricciardicommission'sdivision enforcementenforcementdeputy directorscommissionlawdeputypeter bresnanwalter ricciardibostonservedagainstsec's

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 2
  • $420.00M $420 million $100M–$1B
  • $393.00M $393 million $100M–$1B
Entities 6
  • person linda thomsen
  • person peter bresnan
  • agency the sec's boston office
  • agency the sec's division of enforcement
  • agency the securities and exchange commission
  • person walter ricciardi
Triples 28
  • PETER BRESNAN Named Deputy Directors The SEC's Division of Enforcement
  • WALTER RICCIARDI Named Deputy Directors The SEC's Division of Enforcement
  • The Securities and Exchange Commission Announced the appointment Walter G. Ricciardi and Peter H. Bresnan
  • Bresnan and Ricciardi Serve as senior officials The Division of Enforcement
  • Ricciardi Joined the Commission's staff April 2004
  • Ricciardi Appointed the District Administrator The Commission's Boston District Office
  • Bresnan Joined the Commission's staff April 1995
  • Bresnan Served as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel The Commission
  • Bresnan Served as an Associate Director The Division of Enforcement
  • Bresnan Served as the Acting District Administrator The Boston District Office
  • Bresnan Served as Deputy Chief Litigation Counsel November 2001
  • Linda Thomsen Said I am delighted that Walter and Peter have agreed to take on these new challenges
  • Bresnan Led a number of ground-breaking cases The Commission
  • Bresnan Led the investigations The Commission's charges against former Kmart executives
  • Bresnan Led the investigations The Commission's recent actions against Instinet, LLC, Ford Motor Credit Company, and the Wood River hedge funds
  • Bresnan Was the Commission's lead trial counsel The WorldCom case
  • Bresnan Spearheaded the Commission's market timing cases Putnam, Massachusetts Financial Services Company, and two subsidiaries of FleetBoston
  • Bresnan Recovered a total of $420 million On behalf of injured investors
  • Bresnan Successfully resolved the Commission's first litigated yield-burning case The Commission
  • Bresnan Litigated the Commission's first fraud case An offshore hedge fund and its manager involving an alleged $393 million in investor losses
  • Bresnan Was a litigator The law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York
  • Bresnan Earned his undergraduate degree in history Kenyon College in 1977
  • Bresnan Earned his law degree Fordham University Law School in 1982
  • Bresnan Served as a Commentary Editor The Fordham Law Review
  • The SEC's Boston Office Conducted the investigation The filing by the Commission of fraud charges against Biopure Corporation and its current general counsel and others
  • The Boston office Conducted the investigation The filing of fraud charges against the founder and former CEO of Transkaryotic Therapies
  • The Boston office Investigated the Brite Business fraud The filing of fraud charges against Raymond James Financial and others
  • Ricciardi Fostered a close working relationship State securities and other regulators
View original SEC press releasesec.gov
Extracted body text (5,968c)
PETER BRESNAN AND WALTER RICCIARDI NAMED DEPUTY DIRECTORS OF THE SEC'S DIVISION OF ENFORCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2005-154 Washington, D.C., Oct. 27, 2005 - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointment of Walter G. Ricciardi and Peter H. Bresnan as Deputy Directors of the Division of Enforcement. As Deputy Directors, Bresnan and Ricciardi will serve as senior officials in the Division of Enforcement and will assist in planning and directing the Commission's investigations and other enforcement efforts. Ricciardi joined the Commission's staff in April 2004 when he was appointed the District Administrator of the Commission's Boston District Office. Bresnan joined the Commission's staff in April 1995 as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel. Since April 2004, Bresnan has served as an Associate Director in the Division of Enforcement. Bresnan also served as the Acting District Administrator of the Boston District Office from November 2003 to April 2004, and served as Deputy Chief Litigation Counsel from November 2001, where he shared responsibility for managing the Commission's nationwide litigation program. Linda Thomsen, the SEC's Director of Enforcement said, "I am delighted that Walter and Peter have agreed to take on these new challenges. They are both committed to and possessed of the virtues we hold dear: integrity, fairness and excellence. Between them they have years of experience at the Commission and decades of experience practicing law. And we will exploit every ounce of that experience and all of their collective and abundant talents to protect investors." Bresnan has led a number of ground-breaking cases for the Commission. As an Associate Director, Bresnan led the investigations that led to the Commission's charges against former Kmart executives for misleading investors about the company's financial condition in the months prior to its bankruptcy, as well as the Commission's recent actions against Instinet, LLC, Ford Motor Credit Company, and the Wood River hedge funds. Bresnan was the Commission's lead trial counsel in the WorldCom case in which the Commission obtained the largest civil penalty ever levied for a violation of the federal securities laws. During his tenure as the interim head of the SEC's Boston office, Bresnan spearheaded the Commission's market timing cases against Putnam, Massachusetts Financial Services Company, and two subsidiaries of FleetBoston, in which the SEC recovered a total of $420 million on behalf of injured investors. Earlier, he successfully resolved the Commission's first litigated yield-burning case and litigated the Commission's first fraud case against an offshore hedge fund and its manager involving an alleged $393 million in investor losses. Prior to joining the Commission, Bresnan was a litigator at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. Bresnan, 50, earned his undergraduate degree in history from Kenyon College in 1977 and his law degree from Fordham University Law School in 1982. He served as a Commentary Editor of the Fordham Law Review. While Ricciardi was serving as the District Administrator, the SEC's Boston Office conducted the investigation that resulted in the filing by the Commission of fraud charges against Biopure Corporation and its current general counsel and others for making misrepresentations about the status of its efforts to obtain FDA approval of its artificial blood substitute. The Boston office also conducted the investigation that resulted in fraud charges being brought by the Commission against the founder and former CEO of Transkaryotic Therapies for misrepresentations concerning the status of clinical trials and FDA approval for its only drug. During Ricciardi's tenure, the Boston office also investigated the Brite Business fraud that led to the filing of fraud charges against Raymond James Financial and others. Ricciardi also fostered a close working relationship with state securities and other regulators and federal criminal authorities. These efforts resulted in coordinated Commission and state settlements and criminal plea agreements in such matters as New Alliance Bancshares, where the first criminal charges were brought for fraud in connection with the conversion of a bank from a mutual to stock form of organization. Ricciardi began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Richey, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. He then became an associate in the law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed in Washington, D.C. After approximately four years with Hughes Hubbard, Ricciardi joined the Office of the General Counsel of Coopers & Lybrand. At the time of the merger with Price Waterhouse in 1998, Ricciardi was Coopers & Lybrand's Deputy General Counsel for Litigation. After the merger, Ricciardi was PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's Leader of the Litigation Practice Group and was responsible for representing the firm and its personnel in connection with securities and other litigation, and SEC and other governmental investigations and proceedings. Ricciardi was also elected to the Board of Partners and Principals of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he served on the admissions, governance, partner affairs, and management evaluation and compensation committees. Additionally, he was elected to and served on the Global Oversight Board of the global organization of the PricewaterhouseCoopers firms. Ricciardi, 52, received his A.B. from Columbia College in 1975 and his J.D., cum laude, from New York University in 1978. He served as Note and Comment Editor of the New York University Law Review. Bresnan will continue to serve as Associate Director of Enforcement and Ricciardi will continue to serve as District Administrator of the Boston office in addition to their new positions until replacements for them are appointed. http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2005-154.htm Home | Previous Page Modified: 10/27/2005
OCR text (5,968c · plain-text · 99% conf)
PETER BRESNAN AND WALTER RICCIARDI NAMED DEPUTY DIRECTORS OF THE SEC'S DIVISION OF ENFORCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2005-154 Washington, D.C., Oct. 27, 2005 - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointment of Walter G. Ricciardi and Peter H. Bresnan as Deputy Directors of the Division of Enforcement. As Deputy Directors, Bresnan and Ricciardi will serve as senior officials in the Division of Enforcement and will assist in planning and directing the Commission's investigations and other enforcement efforts. Ricciardi joined the Commission's staff in April 2004 when he was appointed the District Administrator of the Commission's Boston District Office. Bresnan joined the Commission's staff in April 1995 as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel. Since April 2004, Bresnan has served as an Associate Director in the Division of Enforcement. Bresnan also served as the Acting District Administrator of the Boston District Office from November 2003 to April 2004, and served as Deputy Chief Litigation Counsel from November 2001, where he shared responsibility for managing the Commission's nationwide litigation program. Linda Thomsen, the SEC's Director of Enforcement said, "I am delighted that Walter and Peter have agreed to take on these new challenges. They are both committed to and possessed of the virtues we hold dear: integrity, fairness and excellence. Between them they have years of experience at the Commission and decades of experience practicing law. And we will exploit every ounce of that experience and all of their collective and abundant talents to protect investors." Bresnan has led a number of ground-breaking cases for the Commission. As an Associate Director, Bresnan led the investigations that led to the Commission's charges against former Kmart executives for misleading investors about the company's financial condition in the months prior to its bankruptcy, as well as the Commission's recent actions against Instinet, LLC, Ford Motor Credit Company, and the Wood River hedge funds. Bresnan was the Commission's lead trial counsel in the WorldCom case in which the Commission obtained the largest civil penalty ever levied for a violation of the federal securities laws. During his tenure as the interim head of the SEC's Boston office, Bresnan spearheaded the Commission's market timing cases against Putnam, Massachusetts Financial Services Company, and two subsidiaries of FleetBoston, in which the SEC recovered a total of $420 million on behalf of injured investors. Earlier, he successfully resolved the Commission's first litigated yield-burning case and litigated the Commission's first fraud case against an offshore hedge fund and its manager involving an alleged $393 million in investor losses. Prior to joining the Commission, Bresnan was a litigator at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. Bresnan, 50, earned his undergraduate degree in history from Kenyon College in 1977 and his law degree from Fordham University Law School in 1982. He served as a Commentary Editor of the Fordham Law Review. While Ricciardi was serving as the District Administrator, the SEC's Boston Office conducted the investigation that resulted in the filing by the Commission of fraud charges against Biopure Corporation and its current general counsel and others for making misrepresentations about the status of its efforts to obtain FDA approval of its artificial blood substitute. The Boston office also conducted the investigation that resulted in fraud charges being brought by the Commission against the founder and former CEO of Transkaryotic Therapies for misrepresentations concerning the status of clinical trials and FDA approval for its only drug. During Ricciardi's tenure, the Boston office also investigated the Brite Business fraud that led to the filing of fraud charges against Raymond James Financial and others. Ricciardi also fostered a close working relationship with state securities and other regulators and federal criminal authorities. These efforts resulted in coordinated Commission and state settlements and criminal plea agreements in such matters as New Alliance Bancshares, where the first criminal charges were brought for fraud in connection with the conversion of a bank from a mutual to stock form of organization. Ricciardi began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Richey, United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. He then became an associate in the law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed in Washington, D.C. After approximately four years with Hughes Hubbard, Ricciardi joined the Office of the General Counsel of Coopers & Lybrand. At the time of the merger with Price Waterhouse in 1998, Ricciardi was Coopers & Lybrand's Deputy General Counsel for Litigation. After the merger, Ricciardi was PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's Leader of the Litigation Practice Group and was responsible for representing the firm and its personnel in connection with securities and other litigation, and SEC and other governmental investigations and proceedings. Ricciardi was also elected to the Board of Partners and Principals of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he served on the admissions, governance, partner affairs, and management evaluation and compensation committees. Additionally, he was elected to and served on the Global Oversight Board of the global organization of the PricewaterhouseCoopers firms. Ricciardi, 52, received his A.B. from Columbia College in 1975 and his J.D., cum laude, from New York University in 1978. He served as Note and Comment Editor of the New York University Law Review. Bresnan will continue to serve as Associate Director of Enforcement and Ricciardi will continue to serve as District Administrator of the Boston office in addition to their new positions until replacements for them are appointed. http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2005-154.htm Home | Previous Page Modified: 10/27/2005