Ussec v. Robert Morano
Ussec v. Robert Morano
Opinion
NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS OCT 13 2020 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT U.S. SECURITIES & EXCHANGE No. 19-35556 COMMISSION, D.C. No. 3:18-cv-00386-HZ Plaintiff-Appellee, v. MEMORANDUM* ROBERT M. MORANO, Defendant-Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon Marco A. Hernandez, Chief District Judge, Presiding Submitted October 8, 2020** San Francisco, California Before: THOMAS, Chief Judge, and HAWKINS and McKEOWN, Circuit Judges.
Robert M. Morano (“Morano”) appeals pro se the imposition of a civil penalty for his admitted insider trading in violation of Sections 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b), and Exchange Act
* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3. ** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
Rule 10b-5(b), 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5(b). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and affirm.
Morano’s consent judgment resolved all issues of liability, leaving only a determination whether a civil penalty should be imposed and, if so, in what amount.
The Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”) argued for a penalty of three times the amount of insider trading gain. The district court imposed a penalty of $75,000, or twice the gain.
Reviewing for abuse of discretion, SEC v. Platforms Wireless Int’l Corp., 617 F.3d 1072, 1098 (9th Cir. 2010), the determination to impose a civil penalty and calculation of its amount were reasonable given Morano’s admitted misuse of insider information and his admission that he had engaged in similar conduct in the past.
AFFIRMED.
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