SEC Fines Two Brokers in Trading Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently suspended and fined two brokers with Wachovia Securities $250,000 each for their roles in a market-timing scheme that cost mutual fund shareholders hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, writes The Miami Herald.Thomas C. Bridge, 41, of Fort Lauderdale and James D. Edge, 46, of Lake Worth, both worked at Wachovia's Boca Raton office. Edge was Bridge's supervisor.According to Judge Brenda Murray, Bridge engaged in numerous market timing trades, prompting complaints from mutual fund companies. Instead of stopping Bridge, Edge helped him circumvent trading restrictions, including the use of multiple account numbers and broker ID numbers to hide transactions.Bridge has been suspended for a year and Edge has been suspended for 30 days, with the stipulation that he never be a supervisor again.The staff of Money Management Executive ("MME") has prepared these capsule summaries based on reports published by the news sources to which they are attributed. Those news sources are not associated with MME, and have not prepared, sponsored, endorsed, or approved these summaries.