FEBRUARY 22, 2024. On February 15, The Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman announced that Brian Young has been selected as the next director of the CFTC’s Whistleblower Office. Young replaces interim director, Christina McGlosson, who held the position after Christopher Ehrman’s July 2023 resignation.
In introducing Young to the position, the CFTC chairman said, “Whistleblowers play a critical role assisting the CFTC be a strong cop on the beat. Much of our Division of Enforcement’s success is tied to the strength of our Whistleblower Office … Brian [Young]’s extensive experience covering the issues directly impacting our markets will ensure the continued success of the CFTC’s Whistleblower program, and the urgent need to provide individuals who have information the assurances needed to come forward.”
Young brings a wealth of experience to the Director of the Whistleblower Office position, coming from his previous position in the Department of Justice, where he served as the Acting Director of Litigation for the Antitrust Division. Young also served in many roles in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division, including as Chief of the Fraud Section’s Litigation Unit. Young’s credentials do not stop there, he garnered an impressive record as a derivatives and commodities fraud specialist, trying some of the most impactful white-collar crimes of the past ten years. Young began his career at the DOJ as an attorney in the Attorney General’s Honors Program.
On his new position, Young said, “Leads generated from insiders are critically important to any financial enforcement program … The tremendous accomplishments of the CFTC’s Whistleblower Program confirm this view. I look forward to working with and learning from the talented CFTC staff to combat wrongdoing.”
The CFTC’s Whistleblower Office was created through the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010. This amended the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), adding Commodity Whistleblower Incentives and Protection, bolstering the CFTC’s power allowing them to pay awards to whistleblowers. Those who provide information are entitled to confidentiality and anti-retaliation measures to ensure CFTC whistleblowers are protected.
If you would like to report securities, commodities, and banking fraud, you can contact attorneys at Tycko & Zavareei LLP. Eva Gunasekera and Renée Brooker are former officials of the United States Department of Justice and prosecuted whistleblower cases under the False Claims Act and FIRREA. Renée served as Assistant Director at the United States Department of Justice, the office that supervises False Claims Act and FIRREA cases in all 94 United States District Courts. Eva was the Senior Counsel for Health Care Fraud. Eva and Renée now represent whistleblowers. For a free consultation, you can contact Renée at [email protected] (tel.: 202-417-3664) or contact Eva Gunasekera at [email protected]. You can also go to Tycko & Zavareei LLP’s website for whistleblowers to learn more at www.fraudfighters.net.