SEC Charges IT Manager at Law Firm with Insider Trading

The SEC today charged a former information technology manager at a Delaware law firm and his brother-in-law with insider trading on confidential information about impending mergers and acquisitions by the law firm’s clients.  According to the SEC's complaint, Jeffery J. Temple, a former Information Systems and Security Manager at a Wilmington, Del.-based law firm, accessed material nonpublic information in the course of his employment and then traded in advance of at least 22 merger and acquisition public announcements involving 20 companies that retained his former employer as counsel in some capacity. Temple also tipped his brother-in-law, Benedict M. Pastro, who traded in concert with Temple in advance of twelve public announcements. The pair reaped over $182,000 in illegal profits during their insider trading scheme. Temple was terminated from his position on Oct. 11, 2010, once law enforcement authorities revealed that they had uncovered his illegal scheme.