When Committing Securities Fraud, Don’t Use Your SEC Email Address

You’d think somebody working for the SEC –  you know, the group in charge of protecting investors and maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets — would not be taking part in insider trading.

Or, if that doesn’t surprise you, maybe you’d think that somebody in such a position would be smart enough to NOT use their work email — their SEC email — to break the very laws they’re supposed to be protecting.

Sadly, regardless of which camp you’re in, you’d be wrong.

The FBI is investigating two SEC lawyers for possible insider trading. And yes, they are accused of sharing nonpublic information with their family and friends via their work email accounts.

I hate to be in a position to tell criminals how to do their dirty work, but how much more obvious could it be?

Actually, I guess it could be more obvious. According to the AP:

Both attorneys “inexplicably” testified to investigators that they failed to see how sending e-mails to the male attorney’s brother and sister-in-law from his SEC account could create the appearance that he was improperly sharing nonpublic information with someone outside the SEC, the report says.

Really?

C’mon, really?