While the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory bodies have been critical of bitcoin over market manipulation, new reports reveal that JPMorgan Chase is facing allegations of fixing prices for precious metals.
JPMorgan Chase Price-Fixing
According to a report by Bloomberg on Sept. 16, U.S. prosecutors have invoked the racketeering law (RICO) against JPMorgan Chase’s metals desk, which is being described as a criminal enterprise. For nearly a decade, employees of the trading desk have allegedly engaged in thousands of illegal moves to price-fix precious metals and defraud market investors.
Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski told journalists,
Based on the fact that it was conduct that was widespread on the desk, it was engaged in in thousands of episodes over an eight-year period — that it is precisely the kind of conduct that the RICO statute is meant to punish.
RICO is typically reserved for only the most severe, organized crime rings, with former prosecutors calling it a bold move by the Justice Department against the bank. Prosecutors claim that more than a dozen employees participated in the scheme, with two having already pleaded guilty and cooperating with authorities.
Crypto supporters have been quick to point out the irony in JPMorgan’s situation. Jamie Dimon, CEO of the Wall Street bank, has been one of the most vocal detractors of bitcoin over the years, famously calling the crypto-asset a “fraud” in Sept. 2017.
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