The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed insider trading charges against Sean Wygovsky, a former trader at a Canadian asset management firm, and Christopher Matthaei, a former partner at a U.S. broker-dealer, for using nonpublic information in advance of at least seven merger announcements involving Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) to earn illicit profits of more than $3.4 million.
The SEC’s complaint alleges that Wygovsky learned material non-public information about upcoming SPAC mergers from his employer’s involvement in transactions related to the mergers. The complaint further alleges that, from May 2020 through April 2021, Wygovsky used encrypted messaging to tip his close friend and trading client, Matthaei, about the upcoming mergers. According to the complaint, Matthaei, who ran a trading and research group focused on SPACs during the relevant period, allegedly traded on Wygovsky’s tips.
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