The SEC announced that two options traders who the agency charged earlier this year with short selling violations have agreed to pay more than $14.5 million to settle the case against them. According to the Commission an investigation found that brothers Jeffrey A. Wolfson and Robert A. Wolfson engaged in naked short selling by failing to locate shares involved in short sales and failing to close out the resulting failures to deliver.
SEC rules require short sellers to locate shares to borrow before selling them short, and they must purchase securities to close out their failures to deliver by a specified date.
According to the press release, the Wolfsons made approximately $9.5 million in illegal profits from their naked short selling transactions.
The SEC has more details in its press release.
