Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&mc=true&n=pt17.2.165&r=PART&ty=HTMLhttp://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&mc=true&n=pt17.2.165&r=PART&ty=HTML
Timestamp: 2020-07-12 17:20:19
Document Index: 519927983

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', '§165', 'art 165', '§165', 'art 165', '§165', '§165']

Title 17 → Chapter I → Part 165
§165.1 General.
§165.2 Definitions.
§165.3 Procedures for submitting original information.
§165.4 Confidentiality.
§165.5 Requirements for consideration of an award.
§165.6 Whistleblowers ineligible for an award.
§165.7 Procedures for award applications in Commission actions and related actions, and Commission award determinations.
§165.8 Amount of award.
§165.9 Criteria for determining amount of award.
§165.10 Contents of record for award determination.
§165.11 Awards based upon related actions.
§165.12 Payment of awards from the Fund, financing of customer education initiatives, and deposits and credits to the Fund.
§165.13 Appeals.
§165.14 Procedures applicable to the payment of awards.
§165.15 Administering the whistleblower program.
§165.16 No immunity.
§165.17 Awards to whistleblowers who engage in culpable conduct.
§165.18 Staff communications with whistleblowers from represented entities.
§165.19 Nonenforceability of certain provisions waiving rights and remedies or requiring arbitration of disputes.
§165.20 Whistleblower anti-retaliation protections.
Source: 76 FR 53200, Aug. 25, 2011, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Action. The term “action” generally means a single captioned judicial or administrative proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing:
(1) For purposes of making an award under §165.7, the Commission will treat as a Commission action two or more administrative or judicial proceedings brought by the Commission if these proceedings arise out of the same nucleus of operative facts; or
(2) For purposes of determining the payment on an award under §165.14, the Commission will deem as part of the Commission action upon which the award was based any subsequent Commission proceeding that, individually, results in a monetary sanction of $1,000,000 or less, and that arises out of the same nucleus of operative facts.
(b) Aggregate amount. The phrase “aggregate amount” means the total amount of an award granted to one or more whistleblowers pursuant to §165.8.
(c) Analysis. The term “analysis” means the whistleblower's examination and evaluation of information that may be generally available, but which reveals information that is not generally known or available to the public.
(d) Collected by the Commission. The phrase “collected by the Commission” refers to any funds received, and confirmed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in satisfaction of part or all of a civil monetary penalty, disgorgement obligation, or fine owed to the Commission.
(e) Covered judicial or administrative action. The phrase “covered judicial or administrative action” means any judicial or administrative action brought by the Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act whose successful resolution results in monetary sanctions exceeding $1,000,000.
(f) Fund. The term “Fund” means the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Customer Protection Fund.
(g) Independent knowledge. The phrase “independent knowledge” means factual information in the whistleblower's possession that is not generally known or available to the public. The whistleblower may gain independent knowledge from the whistleblower's experiences, communications and observations in the whistleblower's personal business or social interactions. The Commission will not consider the whistleblower's information to be derived from the whistleblower's independent knowledge if the whistleblower obtained the information:
(7) Exceptions. Paragraphs (g)(4) and (5) of this section shall not apply if:
(h) Independent analysis. The phrase “independent analysis” means the whistleblower's own analysis, whether done alone or in combination with others.
(i) Information that led to successful enforcement. The Commission will consider that the whistleblower provided original information that led to the successful enforcement of a judicial or administrative action, or related action, in the following circumstances:
(3) The whistleblower reported original information through an entity's internal whistleblower, legal, or compliance procedures for reporting allegations of possible violations of law before or at the same time the whistleblower reported them to the Commission; the entity later provided the whistleblower's information to the Commission, or provided results of an audit or investigation initiated in whole or in part in response to information the whistleblower reported to the entity; and the information the entity provided to the Commission satisfies either paragraph (i)(1) or (2) of this section. Under this paragraph (i)(3), the whistleblower must also submit the same information to the Commission in accordance with the procedures set forth in §165.3 within 180 days of providing it to the entity.
(j) Monetary sanctions. The phrase “monetary sanctions,” when used with respect to any judicial or administrative action, or related action, means—
(1) Any monies, including penalties, disgorgement, restitution, and interest ordered to be paid; and
(2) Any monies deposited into a disgorgement fund or other fund pursuant to section 308(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C. 7246(b)) as a result of such action or any settlement of such action.
(k) Original information. The phrase “original information” means information that—
(1) Is derived from the independent knowledge or independent analysis of a whistleblower;
(5) Original information shall not lose its status as original information solely because the whistleblower submitted such information prior to October 24, 2011, provided such information was submitted after July 21, 2010, the date of enactment of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010. In order to be eligible for an award, a whistleblower who submits original information to the Commission after July 21, 2010, but prior to October 24, 2011, must comply with the procedure set forth in §165.3(d).
(l) Original source. The whistleblower must satisfy the whistleblower's status as the original source of information to the Commission's satisfaction.
(1) Information obtained from another source. The Commission will consider the whistleblower to be an “original source” of the same information that the Commission obtains from another source if the information the whistleblower provide satisfies the definition of original information and the other source obtained the information from the whistleblower or the whistleblower's representative.
(2) Information first provided to another authority or person. If the whistleblower provides information to Congress, any other federal, state, or local authority, a foreign futures authority, a registered entity, a registered futures association, a self-regulatory organization (as defined in section 3(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)), or to any of the persons described in paragraphs (g)(4) and (5) of this section, and the whistleblower, within 180 days, makes a submission to the Commission pursuant to §165.3, as the whistleblower must do in order for the whistleblower to be eligible to be considered for an award, then, for purposes of evaluating the whistleblower's claim to an award under §165.7, the Commission will consider that the whistleblower provided original information as of the date of the whistleblower's original disclosure, report, or submission to one of these other authorities or persons. The whistleblower must establish the whistleblower's status as the original source of such information, as well as the effective date of any prior disclosure, report, or submission, to the Commission's satisfaction. The Commission may seek assistance and confirmation from the other authority or person in making this determination.
(3) Information already known by the Commission. If the Commission already knows some information about a matter from other sources at the time the whistleblower makes the whistleblower's submission, and the whistleblower is not an original source of that information, as described above, the Commission will consider the whistleblower an “original source” of any information the whistleblower separately provides that is original information that materially adds to the information that the Commission already possesses.
(m) Related action. The phrase “related action,” when used with respect to any judicial or administrative action brought by the Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act, means any judicial or administrative action brought by an entity listed in §165.11(a) that is based upon the original information voluntarily submitted by a whistleblower to the Commission pursuant to §165.3 that led to the successful resolution of the Commission action.
(n) Successful resolution. The phrase “successful resolution,” when used with respect to any judicial or administrative action brought by the Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act, includes any settlement of such action or final judgment in favor of the Commission. It shall also have the same meaning as “successful enforcement.”
(p) Whistleblower(s). (1) The term “whistleblower” or “whistleblowers” means any individual, or two (2) or more individuals acting jointly, who provides information relating to a potential violation of the Commodity Exchange Act to the Commission, in the manner established by §165.3. A company or another entity is not eligible to be a whistleblower.
(2) Prohibition against retaliation. The anti-retaliation protections under Section 23(h) of the Commodity Exchange Act apply whether or not the whistleblower satisfies the requirements, procedures and conditions to qualify for an award. For purposes of the anti-retaliation protections afforded by Section 23(h)(1)(A)(i) of the Commodity Exchange Act, the whistleblower is a whistleblower if:
(ii) The whistleblower provides that information in a manner described in §165.3.
[76 FR 53200, Aug. 25, 2011, as amended at 82 FR 24497, May 30, 2017]
(1) By completing and submitting a Form TCR online and submitting it electronically through the Commission's Web site at http://www.cftc.gov, or the Commission's Whistleblower Program Web site at www.whistleblower.gov; or
(c) Notwithstanding paragraph (b) of this section, if the whistleblower submitted the whistleblower's original information to the Commission anonymously, then the whistleblower's identity must be disclosed to the Commission and verified in a form and manner acceptable to the Commission consistent with the procedure set forth in §165.7(c) prior to Commission's payment of any award.
(1) When disclosure is required to a defendant or respondent in connection with a public proceeding that the Commission institutes or in another public proceeding that is filed by an authority to which the Commission provides the information, as described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section; or
(3) The Commission may make disclosures in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a).
(b) Anonymous whistleblowers. A whistleblower may anonymously submit information to the Commission, however, the whistleblower must follow the procedures in §165.3(c) for submitting original information anonymously. Such whistleblower who anonymously submits information to the Commission must also follow the procedures in §165.7(c) in submitting to the Commission an application for a whistleblower award.
(1) Have voluntarily provided the Commission original information in the form and manner that the Commission requires in §165.3;
[82 FR 24498, May 30, 2017]
(a) No award under §165.7 shall be made:
(2) To any whistleblower who is convicted of a criminal violation related to the judicial or administrative action for which the whistleblower otherwise could receive an award under §165.7;
[76 FR 53200, Aug. 25, 2011, as amended at 82 FR 24498, May 30, 2017]
(a) Whenever a Commission judicial or administrative action results in monetary sanctions totaling more than $1,000,000 (i.e., a covered judicial or administrative action) the Commission will publish on the Commission's Web site a “Notice of Covered Action.” Such Notice of Covered Action will be published subsequent to the entry of a final judgment or order that alone, or collectively with other judgments or orders previously entered in the Commission covered administrative or judicial action, exceeds $1,000,000 in monetary sanctions. The Commission will not contact whistleblower claimants directly as to Notices of Covered Actions; prospective claimants should monitor the Commission Web site for such Notices. A whistleblower claimant will have 90 days from the date of the Notice of Covered Action to file a claim for an award based on that action, or the claim will be barred.
(ii) If a final judgment in a Related Action has been entered and a Notice of Covered Action for a related covered judicial or administrative action has not been published, a claimant for an award in both the covered judicial or administrative action and Related Action may submit the claims for both the Related Action and the covered judicial or administrative action within ninety (90) days of the date of the Notice of Covered Action. The claims may be submitted on the same Form WB-APP.
(c) If the whistleblower provided the whistleblower's original information to the Commission anonymously pursuant to §§165.3 and 165.4 and:
(1) The whistleblower is making the whistleblower's claim for a whistleblower award on a disclosed basis, the whistleblower must disclose the whistleblower's identity on the Form WB-APP. The whistleblower's identity must be verified in a form and manner that is acceptable to the Commission prior to the payment of any award; or
(2) The whistleblower is making the whistleblower's claim for a whistleblower award on an anonymous basis, the whistleblower must be represented by counsel. The whistleblower must provide the whistleblower's counsel with a completed Form WB-APP that is signed by the whistleblower by no later than the date upon which the whistleblower's counsel submits to the Commission a copy of the Form WB-APP that does not disclose the whistleblower's identity and is signed solely by the whistleblower's counsel. In addition, the whistleblower's counsel must retain the signed original of the whistleblower's Form WB-APP in counsel's records. Upon request of the Commission staff, whistleblower's counsel must produce to the Commission the whistleblower's signed original WB-APP and the whistleblower's identity must be verified in a form and manner that is acceptable to the Commission prior to the payment of any award.
(e)(1) The Whistleblower Office may issue a Proposed Final Disposition for award applications that do not relate to a Notice of Covered Action, a final judgment in a Related Action, or a previously filed Form TCR without presentation of the award claim to the staff designated by the Director of the Division of Enforcement under §165.15(a)(2) (“Claims Review Staff”). In such instances, the Whistleblower Office will inform the award claimant in writing that the claim does not relate to a Notice of Covered Action, a final judgment in a Related Action, or a previously filed Form TCR and will be rejected unless the claimant provides additional information. The claimant will have 30 days from the date of the written notice to respond and to correct the identified deficiencies. If the claimant does not respond in 30 days or if the response does not include information showing that the WB-APP relates to a Notice of Covered Action, a final judgment in a Related Action, or a previously filed Form TCR the Whistleblower Office will issue a Proposed Final Disposition. The claimant's failure to submit a timely response to the written notice from the Whistleblower Office will constitute a failure to exhaust administrative remedies, and the claimant will be prohibited from pursuing an appeal under §165.13.
(f)(1) In connection with each individual covered judicial or administrative action or final judgment in a Related Action, for which an award application is submitted, once the time for filing any appeals of the covered judicial or administrative action or the final judgment in the Related Action has expired (or, where an appeal is filed of the covered judicial or administrative action, or the final judgment in a Related Action, as applicable, and concluded), the Claims Review Staff designated under §165.15(a)(2) will evaluate all timely whistleblower award claims submitted on Form WB-APP in response to a Notice of Covered Action, referenced in paragraph (a) of this section, or final judgment in a Related Action in accordance with the criteria set forth in this part.
(2) The Whistleblower Office may require that the claimant provide additional information relating to the claimant's eligibility for an award or satisfaction of any of the conditions for an award, as set forth in §165.5(b)(2). The Whistleblower Office may also request additional information from the claimant in connection with the claim for an award in a Related Action to demonstrate that the claimant directly (or through the Commission) voluntarily provided the governmental agency, regulatory authority or self-regulatory organization the original information that led to the Commission's successful covered action, and that the information provided by the claimant led to the successful enforcement of the Related Action. The Whistleblower Office may also, in its discretion, seek assistance and confirmation from the other agency in making this determination.
(i) Before determining whether to contest a Preliminary Determination, the claimant may, within thirty (30) days of the date of the Preliminary Determination, request that the Whistleblower Office make available for the claimant's review the materials from among those set forth in §165.10 that formed the basis of the Claims Review Staff's Preliminary Determination.
(h) If the claimant fails to submit a timely response pursuant to paragraph (g) of this section, then the Preliminary Determination will become the Final Order of the Commission (except where the Preliminary Determination recommended an award, in which case the Preliminary Determination will be deemed a Proposed Final Determination for purposes of paragraph (j) of this section). The claimant's failure to submit a timely response contesting a Preliminary Determination will constitute a failure to exhaust administrative remedies, and the claimant will be prohibited from pursuing an appeal under §165.13.
If all of the conditions are met for a whistleblower award in connection with a covered judicial or administrative action or a related action, the Commission will then decide the amount of the award pursuant to the procedure set forth in §165.7.
(a) Whistleblower awards shall be in an aggregate amount equal to—
(1) Not less than 10 percent, in total, of what has been collected of the monetary sanctions imposed in the covered judicial or administrative action or related actions; and
(2) Not more than 30 percent, in total, of what has been collected of the monetary sanctions imposed in the covered judicial or administrative action or related actions.
The determination of the amount of an award shall be in the discretion of the Commission. This discretion shall be exercised as prescribed by §165.7.
(a) In determining the amount of an award, the Commission shall take into consideration—
(1) The significance of the information provided by the whistleblower to the success of the covered judicial or administrative action or related action;
(2) The degree of assistance provided by the whistleblower and any legal representative of the whistleblower in a covered judicial or administrative action or related action;
(3) The programmatic interest of the Commission in deterring violations of the Commodity Exchange Act by making awards to whistleblowers who provide information that leads to the successful enforcement of such laws;
(4) Whether the award otherwise enhances the Commission's ability to enforce the Commodity Exchange Act, protect customers, and encourage the submission of high quality information from whistleblowers; and
(5) Potential adverse incentives from oversize awards.
(b) Factors that may increase the amount of a whistleblower's award. In determining whether to increase the amount of an award, the Commission will consider the following factors, which are not listed in order of importance.
(i) The nature of the information provided by the whistleblower and how it related to the successful enforcement action, including whether the reliability and completeness of the information provided to the Commission by the whistleblower resulted in the conservation of Commission resources; and
(ii) The degree to which the information provided by the whistleblower supported one or more successful claims brought in the Commission action or related action.
(ii) The timeliness of the whistleblower's initial report to the Commission or to an internal compliance or reporting system of business organizations committing, or impacted by, the violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, where appropriate;
(v) The efforts undertaken by the whistleblower to remediate the harm caused by the violations of the Commodity Exchange Act, including assisting the authorities in the recovery of the fruits and instrumentalities of the violations; and
(3) Law enforcement interest. The Commission will assess its programmatic interest in deterring violations of the Commodity Exchange Act by making awards to whistleblowers who provide information that leads to the successful enforcement of such laws. In considering this factor, the Commission may take into account, among other things:
(i) The degree to which an award enhances the Commission's ability to enforce the commodity laws;
(ii) The degree to which an award encourages the submission of high quality information from whistleblowers by appropriately rewarding whistleblower submissions of significant information and assistance, even in cases where the monetary sanctions available for collection are limited or potential monetary sanctions were reduced or eliminated by the Commission because an entity self-reported a commodities violation following the whistleblower's related internal disclosure, report, or submission;
(iii) Whether the subject matter of the action is a Commission priority, whether the reported misconduct involves regulated entities or fiduciaries, whether the whistleblower exposed an industry-wide practice, the type and severity of the commodity violations, the age and duration of misconduct, the number of violations, and the isolated, repetitive, or ongoing nature of the violations;
(iv) The dangers to market participants or others presented by the underlying violations involved in the enforcement action, including the amount of harm or potential harm caused by the underlying violations, the type of harm resulting from or threatened by the underlying violations, and the number of individuals or entities harmed; and
(v) The degree, reliability and effectiveness of the whistleblower's assistance, including the consideration of the whistleblower's complete, timely truthful assistance to the Commission and criminal authorities.
(i) Whether, and the extent to which, a whistleblower reported the possible Commodity Exchange Act violations through internal whistleblower, legal or compliance procedures before, or at the same time as, reporting them to the Commission; and
(ii) Whether, and the extent to which, a whistleblower assisted any internal investigation or inquiry concerning the reported Commodity Exchange Act violations.
(c) Factors that may decrease the amount of a whistleblower's award. In determining whether to decrease the amount of an award, the Commission will consider the following factors, which are not listed in order of importance.
(i) The whistleblower's role in the Commodity Exchange Act violations;
(vi) The egregiousness of any wrongdoing committed by the whistleblower; and
(2) Unreasonable reporting delay. The Commission will assess whether the whistleblower unreasonably delayed reporting the Commodity Exchange Act violations. In considering this factor, the Commission may take into account, among other things:
(i) Interfered with an entity's established legal, compliance, or audit procedures to prevent or delay detection of the reported Commodity Exchange Act violation;
(ii) Made any material false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations that hindered an entity's efforts to detect, investigate, or remediate the reported Commodity Exchange Act violations; or
(iii) Provided any false writing or document knowing the writing or document contained any false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or entries that hindered an entity's efforts to detect, investigate, or remediate the reported Commodity Exchange Act violations.
(d) The Commission shall not take into consideration the balance of the Fund in determining the amount of an award.
[76 FR 53200, Aug. 25, 2011, as amended at 82 FR 24500, May 30, 2017]
(a) The following items constitute the record upon which the award determination under §165.7 shall be made:
(6) Any other documents that appear on the docket of the proceeding;
(7) Sworn declarations (including attachments) from the Commission's Division of Enforcement staff regarding any matters relevant to the award determination;
(a) Provided that a whistleblower or whistleblowers comply with the requirements in §§165.3, 165.5 and 165.7, and pursuant to §165.8, the Commission may grant an award based on the amount of monetary sanctions collected in a “Related Action” or “Related Actions”, where:
[82 FR 24500, May 30, 2017]
(a) The Commission shall pay awards to whistleblowers from the Fund.
(b) The Commission shall deposit into or credit to the Fund:
(1) Any monetary sanctions collected by the Commission in any covered judicial or administrative action that is not otherwise distributed, or ordered to be distributed, to victims of a violation of the Commodity Exchange Act underlying such action, unless the balance of the Fund at the time the monetary sanctions are collected exceeds $100,000,000. In the event the Fund's value exceeds $100,000,000, any monetary sanctions collected by the Commission in a covered judicial or administrative action that is not otherwise distributed, or ordered to be distributed, to victims of violations of the Commodity Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder underlying such action, shall be deposited into the general fund of the U.S. Treasury.
(2) In the event that the amounts deposited into or credited to the Fund under paragraph (b)(1) of this section are not sufficient to satisfy an award made pursuant to §165.7, then, pursuant to Section 23(g)(3)(B) of the Commodity Exchange Act;
(i) An amount equal to the unsatisfied portion of the award;
(ii) Shall be deposited into or credited to the Fund;
(iii) From any monetary sanction collected by the Commission in any judicial or administrative action brought by the Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act, regardless of whether it qualifies as a “covered judicial or administrative action”; provided, however, that such judicial or administrative action is based on information provided by a whistleblower.
(a) Any Final Order of the Commission relating to a whistleblower award determination, including whether, to whom, or in what amount to make whistleblower awards, may be appealed to the appropriate court of appeals of the United States not more than 30 days after the Final Order of the Commission is issued, provided that administrative remedies have been exhausted.
(1) The Contents of Record for Award Determinations, as set forth in §165.10. The record on appeal shall not include any pre-decisional or internal deliberative process materials that are prepared to assist the Commission or the Claims Review Staff in deciding the claim (including staff's draft Preliminary Determination or any Proposed Final Determination or staff's draft final determination); and
(2) The Preliminary Determination and the Final Order of the Commission, as set forth in §165.7.
(2) Designation of claims review staff. The Claims Review Staff referenced in §165.7 shall be composed of no fewer than three and no more than five staff members from any of the Commission's Offices or Divisions (except the Office of General Counsel) who have not had direct involvement in the underlying enforcement action, as designated by the Director of the Division of Enforcement in consultation with the Executive Director. The Claims Review Staff will always include at least one staff member who does not work in the Division of Enforcement.
(3) Disclosure of whistleblower identifying information. The Director of the Division of Enforcement is authorized on behalf of the Commission to exercise its discretion to disclose whistleblower identifying information under §165.4(a).
[82 FR 24501, May 30, 2017]
The Commodity Whistleblower Incentives and Protections provisions set forth in Section 23(h) of Commodity Exchange Act and this part 165 do not provide individuals who provide information to the Commission with immunity from prosecution. The fact that an individual may become a whistleblower and assist in Commission investigations and enforcement actions does not preclude the Commission from bringing an action against the whistleblower based upon the whistleblower's own conduct in connection with violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and the Commission's regulations. If such an action is determined to be appropriate, however, the Commission's Division of Enforcement will take the whistleblower's cooperation into consideration in accordance with its sanction recommendations to the Commission.
In determining whether the required $1,000,000 threshold has been satisfied for purposes of making any award, the Commission will not take into account any monetary sanctions that the whistleblower is ordered to pay, or that is ordered against any entity whose liability is based primarily on conduct that the whistleblower principally directed, planned, or initiated. Similarly, if the Commission determines that a whistleblower is eligible for an award, any amounts that the whistleblower or such an entity pay in sanctions as a result of the action or related actions will not be included within the calculation of the amounts collected for purposes of making payments pursuant to §165.14.
If the whistleblower is a whistleblower who is a director, officer, member, agent, or employee of an entity that has counsel, and the whistleblower has initiated communication with the Commission relating to a potential violation of the Commodity Exchange Act, the Commission's staff is authorized to communicate directly with the whistleblower regarding the subject of the whistleblower's communication without seeking the consent of the entity's counsel.
• If you are submitting information for the CFTC's whistleblower award program, you must submit your information using this Form TCR.
• You may submit this form electronically, through the Web portal found on the CFTC's Web site at http://www.whistleblower.gov. You may also print this form and submit it by mail to Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Whistleblower Office, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581, or by facsimile to (202) 418-5975.
• You have the right to submit information anonymously. If you do not submit anonymously, please note that the CFTC is required by law to maintain the confidentiality of any information which could reasonably identify you, and will only reveal such information in limited and specifically-defined circumstances. See 7 U.S.C. 26(h)(2); 17 CFR 165.4. However, in order to receive a whistleblower award, you will need to be identified to select CFTC staff for a final eligibility determination, and in unusual circumstances, you may need to be identified publicly for trial. You should therefore provide some means for the CFTC's staff to contact you, such as a telephone number or an email address.
Question 3: Choose the option that you believe best describes the nature of your complaint. If you are alleging more than one violation, please list all that you believe may apply.
If you are submitting this information pursuant to the CFTC whistleblower program and you are doing so anonymously through an attorney, your attorney must sign the Counsel Certification Section. If your attorney is submitting your information using the electronic version of Form TCR through the CFTC's web portal, he/she must check the box to agree with the certification. If you are represented in this matter but you are not submitting your information pursuant to the CFTC whistleblower program, your attorney does not need to sign this Certification or check the box.
• This form must be used by persons making a claim for a whistleblower award in connection with information provided to the CFTC, or to another agency or organization in a related action. In order to be deemed eligible for an award, you must meet all the requirements set forth in Section 23 of the Commodity Exchange Act and Part 165 of the CFTC's regulations.
• You must sign the Form WB-APP as the claimant. If you wish to submit the Form WB-APP anonymously, you must do so through an attorney, your attorney must sign the Counsel Certification Section of the Form WB-APP that is submitted to the CFTC, and you must give your attorney your original signed Form WB-APP so that it can be produced to the CFTC upon request.
• During the whistleblower award claim process, your identity must be verified in a form and manner that is acceptable to the CFTC prior to the payment of any award.
o If you are filing your claim in connection with information that you provided to the CFTC, then your Form WB-APP, and any attachments thereto, must be received by the CFTC within ninety (90) days of the date of the Notice of Covered Action, or the date of a final judgment in a related action to which the claim relates.
o If you are filing your claim in connection with information that you provided to another agency or organization in a related action, then your Form WB-APP, and any attachments thereto, must be received by the CFTC as follows:
• If a final order imposing monetary sanctions has been entered in a related action at the time that you submit your claim for an award in connection with a CFTC action, you may submit your claim for an award in that related action on the same Form WB-APP that you use for the CFTC action.
• If a final order imposing monetary sanctions in a related action has not been entered at the time that you submit your claim for an award in connection with a CFTC action, you must submit your claim on Form WB-APP within ninety (90) days of the issuance of a final order imposing sanctions in the related action.
• If a final order imposing monetary sanctions in a related action relates to a judicial or administrative action brought by the Commission under the Commodity Exchange Act that is not a covered judicial or administrative action, and therefore there would not be a Notice of Covered Action, you must submit your claim on Form WB-APP for an award in connection with the related action within ninety (90) calendar days following either (1) the date of issuance of a final order in the related action, if that date is after the date of issuance of the final judgment in the related Commission judicial or administrative action; or (2) the date of issuance of the final judgment in the related Commission judicial or administrative action, i.e., the date the related action becomes a related action, if the date of issuance of the final order in the related action precedes the final judgment in the related Commission judicial or administrative action.
• To submit your Form WB-APP, you may print it and either submit it by mail to Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Whistleblower Office, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581, or by facsimile to (202) 418-5975. You also may submit this form electronically, through the web portal found on the CFTC's Web site at http://www.cftc.gov, which is also accessible from the CFTC Whistleblower Program Web site at www.whistleblower.gov.
• last name, first name, middle initial and the last four digits of your Social Security Number;
• telephone number and, if available, an alternate number where you can be reached; and
• your email address (to facilitate communications, we strongly encourage you to provide an email address, especially if you are making your claim anonymously).
Complete this section only if you are represented by an attorney in this matter.Questions 1-4: Provide the following information about your attorney:
Question 1: State whether you are currently, or were at the time that you acquired the original information that you submitted to the CFTC, a member, officer or employee of: The CFTC; the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; the Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision; the National Credit Union Administration Board; the Securities and Exchange Commission; the Department of Justice; a registered entity; a registered futures association; a self-regulatory organization; a law enforcement organization; or a foreign regulatory authority or law enforcement organization.
This section is optional. Use this section to explain the basis for your belief that you are entitled to an award in connection with your submission of information to the CFTC, or to another agency in connection with a related action. Specifically, address why you believe that you voluntarily provided the CFTC with original information that led to the successful enforcement of a judicial or administrative action filed by the CFTC, or a related action. Refer to §165.9 of the CFTC's regulations for further information concerning the relevant award criteria.
Section 23(c)(1)(B) of the Commodity Exchange Act and §165.9(a) of the CFTC's regulations require the CFTC to consider the following factors in determining the amount of an award: (1) The significance of the information provided by a whistleblower to the success of the CFTC action or related action; (2) the degree of assistance provided by the whistleblower and any legal representative of the whistleblower in the CFTC action or related action; (3) the programmatic interest of the CFTC in deterring violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (including regulations under the Act) by making awards to whistleblowers who provide information that leads to the successful enforcement of such laws; (4) whether the award otherwise enhances the CFTC's ability to enforce the Commodity Exchange Act, protect customers, and encourage the submission of high quality information from whistleblowers; and (5) potential adverse incentives from oversize awards. Address these factors in your response as well.