A former Goldman Sachs analyst has been charged with leaking insider information about mergers and acquisitions to a friend, who allegedly used the information to buy stocks and make a profit of nearly $500,000. federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced Thursday.
Anthony Viggiano, 26, of Baldwin, Louisiana, worked at Blackstone before working as an associate in Goldman’s wealth and asset management department. According to Bloomberg News.
He and three others are charged with securities fraud.
The indictment does not say which firm employed Villano, but people familiar with the investigation told Bloomberg News that Villano worked for Goldman from February of last year to July of this year. Ta.
According to Bloomberg News, Mr. Villano left Goldman after the firm learned that he had been trading without prior approval at investment banking giant Blackstone.
“The allegations in the indictment are damning,” a Goldman Sachs spokesperson told the Post.
“We do not condone this type of behavior, which violates our standards of conduct and business principles,” the spokesperson said.
“We will continue to fully cooperate with the government on this issue.”
A Blackstone spokesperson told the Post: “Through extensive compliance and training procedures, we have made it clear to all employees that we have zero tolerance for the alleged conduct, and we will cooperate fully with authorities.” “There is,” he said.
“This individual (Mr. Villano) is a junior analyst in the non-investment/financial sector who was employed for a short period of less than seven months and left two years ago,” a Blackstone spokesperson said.
The indictment says Villano used “material non-public information” obtained through his positions at Blackstone and Goldman to enrich himself and his friends.
According to the indictment, Villano allegedly provided the information to his college friend Stephen Forlano, 27, of Tampa.
According to the indictment, Mr. Forlano, a real estate company analyst, allegedly earned $114,000 by purchasing stocks based on confidential information he received from Mr. Villano.
Villano also provided inside information to Christopher Salamone, 35, of Long Beach, Lil., according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, the two “grew up in the same neighborhood” and “have known each other for 20 years.”
Salamone’s mother and Villano’s father are said to be in a relationship, the indictment states.
According to the Department of Justice, Salomone has admitted to the crime and is cooperating with investigators.
According to court filings, Mr. Salamone allegedly bought the stock based on inside information he received from Mr. Villano and took home about $322,000.
Mr. Villano’s college friend, 26-year-old U.S. Army Capt. Nathan Bleckley, also made $25,000 in profits after making stock trades based on illegal tips, according to court filings. It is said that it was raised.
Villano, Salamone, Bleckley and Forlano could not be reached for comment.
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison.
