On May 20, 2014, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission
(CFTC) announced an award of $240,000 to an anonymous whistleblower
who provided "valuable information" concerning
unexplained Commodity Exchange Act violations by an unidentified
entity or person. The award was the first issued under the CFTC Whistleblower Program created under the
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of
2010.
The CFTC press release claimed that the award illustrates the
value of the Whistleblower Program in "protect[ing] market
participants and the public through successful enforcement
actions." Senior CFTC officials commented that the increasing
number of "high quality tips, complaints and referrals"
the CFTC receives has led to the Commission bringing important
enforcement actions. According to Christopher Ehrman,
Director of the CFTC Whistleblower Office, "this award will
send the strong message that the CFTC will pay for information that
helps us do our jobs."
