Securities fraud

Criminal law

Elements
Actus reus Mens rea Causation Concurrence
Scope of criminal liability
Accessory Accomplice Complicity Corporate Mandated reporter Principal Use of force continuum Vicarious
Severity of offense
Felony (or Indictable offense) Misdemeanor (or Summary offense) Infraction (also called violation)
Inchoate offenses
Attempt Conspiracy Incitement Solicitation
Offense against the person
Assassination Assault Battery Child abuse Concealment of a corpse Criminal negligence Domestic violence False imprisonment Frameup Harassment Street Home invasion Hate crime Homicide Human trafficking Intimidation Kidnapping Manslaughter (corporate) Mayhem Murder felony Homicide Negligent homicide Reckless homicide Robbery Stalking Stabbing Torture
Sexual offenses
Adultery Bigamy Child sexual abuse Cybersex trafficking Fornication Homosexuality Groping Incest Indecent exposure Masturbation Obscenity Prostitution Rape Pederasty Sex trafficking Sexual assault Sexual harassment Sexual slavery Voyeurism
Crimes against property
Arson Arms trafficking Blackmail Bribery Burglary Cybercrime Embezzlement Extortion False pretenses Forgery Fraud Gambling Intellectual property violation Larceny Looting Payola Pickpocketing Possessing stolen property Robbery Smuggling Parallel import Tax evasion Theft Trespass to land Vandalism Mischief
Crimes against justice
Against public justice Justice delayed Compounding Contempt Malfeasance in office Miscarriage of justice Judicial misconduct Misprision Perjury Perverting the course of justice
Crimes against the public
Apostasy Corruption Censorship violation Dueling Genocide Ethnic cleansing Hostage-taking People smuggling Insider trading Smuggling Illegal consumption (such as drugs, alcohol, and smoking) Miscegenation Piracy Political corruption Regicide Terrorism Unreported employment Usurpation War crimes
Crimes against animals
Cruelty to animals Poaching Wildlife smuggling Bestiality
Crimes against the state
Lèse-majesté Treason Espionage Secession Sedition Subversion
Defenses to liability
Actual innocence Automatism Consent Defense of property Diminished responsibility Duress Entrapment Ignorantia juris non excusat Infancy Insanity Intoxication Justification Might makes right Mistake (of law) Necessity Possession is nine-tenths of the law Provocation Sanctuary Self-defense Statute of limitations
Other common-law areas
Contracts Defenses Evidence Property Torts Wills, trusts and estates
Portals
Law

Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a deceptive practice in the stock or commodities markets that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information.^[1] ^[2]^[3] The setups are generally made to result in monetary gain for the deceivers, and generally result in unfair monetary losses for the investors.^[4] They are generally violating securities laws.

Securities fraud can also include outright theft from investors (embezzlement by stockbrokers), stock manipulation, misstatements on a public company's financial reports, and lying to corporate auditors. The term encompasses a wide range of other actions, including insider trading, front running and other illegal acts on the trading floor of a stock or commodity exchange.^[5]^[6]^[7]

^ "Securities Fraud Awareness & Prevention Tips faq by FBI, accessed February 11, 2013
^ Nathaniel Popper (February 10, 2013). "Complex Investments Prove Risky as Savers Chase Bigger Payoff". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
^ "2012 NASAA Top Investor Threats". North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA). 2011-08-31. Retrieved February 11, 2013. A con artist will use every trick in the book to take advantage of unsuspecting investors, including exploiting well-intended laws, in order to fatten their wallets
^ "Fraud and Financial Crimes". Thomson Reuters. Last updated June 20, 2016
^ "Testimony: Testimony Concerning Insider Trading(Linda Chatman Thomsen, September 26, 2006)".
^ Norris, Floyd (April 14, 2005). "Trading Scandal May Strengthen Stock Exchange". New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
^ San Francisco FBI web link, supra