Indictment in the Bear Stearns Prosecution Traces Origins of the Financial Crisis
The indictment against Bearn Stearns executives Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin is available here. Cioffi and Tannin are charged in the only major prosecution to date arising out of the collapse of numerous Wall Street firms beginning in 2007.
As related in the indictment, the Bear Stearns High Grade Structured Credit Strategies Fund Ltd. ("High Grade Fund") and the Bear Stearns High Grade Credit Strategies Enhanced Master Fund Ltd. ("Enhanced Fund") were hedge funds registered as a Cayman Island corporation. The High Grade Fund and the Enhanced Fund were brokered by Bear Stearns Securities Corporation (BSSC). Cioffi was the founder and Senior Portfolio Manager of the funds. Tannin was a Portfolio Manager who reported to Cioffi.
The indictment alleges that the High Grade Fund opened in 2003 and was invested in low-risk, high grade debt securities and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). The fund purchased income earning assets through repurchase agreements. The indictment alleges that Cioffi and Tannin allegedly told investors that they could expect annual returns of 10 to 12 percent and that the fund was only slightly riskier than a money market fund.
By 2006, the performance of the High Grade Fund began to decline due to investors' threats to withdraw their investments. In response to this decline, Cioffi and Tannin allegedly created the Enhanced Fund, which was also invested in CDOs, but had greater leverage than the High Grade Fund and could allegedly provide greater returns than the High Grade Fund with only slightly more risk. Cioffi and Tannin had their own monies invested in the funds. In July, 2006, Cioffi and Tannin allegedly told investors that they were moving their funds from the High Grade Fund to the Enhanced Fund. Many investors allegedly moved their investments to the Enhanced Fund.
The Government acknowledges that the funds had positive monthly returns until January 2007. It alleges that in about March 2007, The indictment also alleges that Cioffi and Tannin owed duties to BSAM, the funds and the funds' investors. Cioffi and Tannin, despite allegedly knowing that the funds had serious problems, allegedly began to make misrepresentations to investors in hopes that the funds' incomes would recover. Cioffi and Tannin allegedly misrepresented material facts in communicationswith investors and lenders including the funds' financial prospects, liquidity and exposure to the subprime mortgage market, as well as Cioffi's and Tannin's personal investments in the funds. Cioffi allegedly had a meeting with the funds' portfolio management team in March of 2007 after which he instructed those attending the meeting not to discusse the funds' difficulties with others. The indictment cites communications between Cioffi, Tannin and others on the portfolio management team, in which they allegedly expressed concern over the condition of the funds.
Despite the condition of the funds, Cioffi and Tannin allegedly continued to make misrepresentations regarding the condition of the funds in hopes of enticing more investors and improving the financial condition of the funds. Furthermore, the indictment alleges that, beginning in March 2007, Cioffi allegedly began to transfer the more than $6 milion which he had invested in the funds to other Bear Stearns hedge funds without disclosing this fact to the funds investors.
On April 17, 2007, the management team produced a CDO report which stated that the CDOs held by the funds were worth significantly less than had previously been determined. The indictment alleges that Cioffi and Tannin communicated regarding hiding the funds' troubles from other fund employees and allegedly made false statements regarding the financial condition of the funds during a conference call with investors on April 25, 2007. In the meantime, major investors in the funds were redeeming tens of millions from the funds. In June, 2007, investors in the funds were told that the funds had lost 100% of their value, or approximately $1.4 billion.
Cioffi and Tannin are charged in the Eastern District of New York with one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud, three counts of securities fraud, and four counts of wire fraud, as well as a criminal forfeiture count against their real and personal property. Cioffi's and Tannin's trial is scheduled to begin on September 28.
