Government ethics group sues for information about SEC activities since financial fraud

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is suing the Securities Exchange Commission  for documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act showing what the SEC is doing to improve detection and enforcement on financial fraud. CREW submitted the FOIA request to the SEC in June but has received no documents on their request. [...]

Federal judge rules Securities and Exchange Commission can keep secret the names of porn-viewing employees

A Colorado federal judge denied the request of a Denver attorney for the identities of SEC employees caught viewing pornographic websites during working hours. -db The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press December 9, 2010 By Christine Beckett The names and job descriptions of Securities and Exchange Commission employees who were caught viewing pornography [...]

Congress removes FOIA exemption for SEC

In a move to create transparency and accountability, the House and Senate voted to repeal provision allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission to deny requests under the Freedom of Information Act. -db CNNMoney.com September 23, 2010 By Ben Rooney NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Lawmakers moved Thursday to repeal a provision in the financial reform law [...]

Government agency using subpoenas to obtain whistle blowers’ e-mails with reporters

The Security and Exchange Commission has subpoenaed documents from two whistle blowers including e-mails with reporters, a move that circumvents their usual policy of not subpoenaing reporters directly. -db The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press June 28, 2010 By Ellen Biltz At least one government agency is using subpoenas to target e-mail between [...]

Supreme Court won’t hear First Amendment challenge of newsletter prosecution

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of an investment research company who had published a report of a stock with a statement that the company’s owner later denied saying. -db foxreno.com June 28, 2010 WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — The Supreme Court won’t stop the securities fraud prosecution of an investment newsletter that [...]

Lawsuit filed for names of SEC workers surfing for porn during office hours

The Securities and Exchange Commission porn scandal heated up as a Denver lawyer sued the agency for the names of workers who viewed porn on government computers over the last five years. -db The Washington Post May 12, 2010 By Ed O’Keefe A Denver lawyer is suing the Securities and Exchange Commission for the names [...]

A SEC lawyer, now running for Congress, disclosed protected information about whistleblower to his employer’s lawyer

The Security Exchange Commission’s commitment to protecting whistleblowers has been brought into question by a case in which a SEC lawyer handed over protected and nonpublic information to the whistleblower’s employer, JPMorgan Chase. -db Politics Daily January 28, 2010 By Michael Smallberg and Adam Zagorin George Demos is a Republican Congressional candidate from Eastern Long [...]

Securities and Exchange Commission hides information about AIG bailout

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission conspired with American International Group to keep secret the details of the company’s bailout. -DB Reuters January 14, 2010 By Matthew Goldstein NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. securities regulators originally treated the New York Federal Reserve’s bid to keep secret many of the details of the American International Group [...]

Post-Madoff: Group sues Securities and Exchange Commission for reform documents

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has sued the SEC for failing to provide records of reforms implemented in the wake of Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. -DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press January 7, 2010 By Amanda Becker The government accountability group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [...]

To fight waste and fraud, tech experts call for real-time reporting on stimulus and bailout spending

Likening audits to delayed autopsies, a panel of technology specialists urged the government to make details of bailout money and stimulus spending available to the public without delay. They say so far real-time disclosure would have saved the taxpayers about $14 billion.  -DB NextGov October 20, 2009 By Gutham Nagesh The federal government can save [...]

Security Exchange Commission lags in meeting information requests

A report from the Inspector General criticized the SEC for granting a small percentage of information requests and at a slow rate compared to other federal agencies. -DB Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press September 29, 2009 By Ansley Schrimpf The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Inspector General released a report on Friday [...]

Securities Exchange Commission baselessly refusing to release documents

When a requester asked for copies from the SEC of internal news clips, the SEC cited the Copyright act as the statute allowing them to refuse the request, when, case law says the Copyright act may not be used to block access. -DB The FOIA Blog Commentary September 25, 2009 By Scott A. Hodes I [...]