A now-former trader with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to charges involving manipulative trading.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that Christian Trunz, 34, of London, England, who was a precious metals trader with the bank in London, Singapore and New York, has pleaded guilty to one count of spoofing, which involves placing phantom orders to impact market prices, and one count of conspiracy.
The DoJ reported that between July 2007 and August 2016 “Trunz placed thousands of orders that he did not intend to execute for gold, silver, platinum and palladium futures contracts” that are traded on commodities exchanges operated by CME Group Inc.
“Trunz learned to spoof from more senior traders, and spoofed with the knowledge and consent of his supervisors,” the DoJ said.
The case was generated by an FBI investigation that remains ongoing. The DoJ said that Trunz is cooperating with that investigation.
Trunz’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 19, 2020. He resigned from the bank on Aug. 20.