CFTC v. Corey D. Flaum (price manipulation, 2019)
Settled
Checked against the primary document on October 2, 2026. The library's summary, tags and figures for this record were compared with the regulator's own document by an AI model (Claude) following written instructions, with sampled and disputed records read a second time. No lawyer has reviewed them. A checked record can still contain errors, and checked does not mean endorsed. See how we check records or report a correction.
In 2019, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an order settling charges against Corey D. Flaum. The order finds Flaum, a former precious metals trader, spoofed precious metals futures between 2007 and 2016 at two New York banks and admitted it; his cooperation led the CFTC to postpone setting any sanction. A parallel criminal matter is referenced in the release.
The record
| Agency | CFTC |
|---|---|
| Release number | 7983-19 |
| Date filed | 2019-07-25 |
| Status | settled |
| Asset class | commodities, futures |
| Criminal parallel | Yes: guilty plea (Flaum (Edmonds also pleaded guilty)) |
| Defendants | Corey D. Flaum |
| Techniques | Price manipulation , Spoofing |
What was ordered
- Civil penalty
- —
- Disgorgement
- —
- Prejudgment interest
- —
- Total relief
- —
- Alleged gain
- —
What is alleged to have happened
the Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced this matter on July 25, 2019 as release 7983-19. The respondent named is Corey D. Flaum (1 individual, 0 entities).
This library tags the matter as price manipulation and spoofing, based on the conduct the regulator describes. Each tag links to a page explaining how that technique works, what statute it engages, and what penalties comparable actions have attracted. The tagging is ours, not the regulator's: agencies charge statutory provisions, not technique names.
The order finds Flaum, a former precious metals trader, spoofed precious metals futures between 2007 and 2016 at two New York banks and admitted it; his cooperation led the CFTC to postpone setting any sanction.
The conduct is recorded against commodities and futures.
The release references a parallel criminal proceeding. Where a criminal case exists, the civil and criminal outcomes are recorded separately, because they resolve on different standards of proof.
For the regulator's own account of the facts, read the primary document linked above. This page deliberately summarises the structured record rather than reproducing the release.
What technique is this, and how does it work?
This action is tagged with 2 techniques in our taxonomy. The tagging is ours: regulators charge statutory provisions, not technique names, so the mapping is an editorial judgement described in our editorial policy.
- Price manipulation — see how it works, what statute it engages, and every other action tagged the same way.
- Spoofing — see how it works, what statute it engages, and every other action tagged the same way.
Timeline
- 2019-07-25 CFTC release published
Primary documents
Everything on this page derives from the documents below. Where our summary and the primary document disagree, the primary document is right.
Related actions
Other actions in the library sharing at least one technique tag with this one.
| Action | Agency | Filed | Technique | Penalty | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FCA v. Corrado Abbattista (spoofing, 2020) | FCA | 2020-12-15 | Price Manipulation , Spoofing | — | judgment |
| CFTC v. JPMorgan (price manipulation, 2020) | CFTC | 2020-09-29 | Price Manipulation , Spoofing | $436m | settled |
| CFTC v. Hard Eight Futures, LLC and Igor Chernomzav (spoofing, 2019) | CFTC | 2019-09-30 | Price Manipulation , Spoofing | $2.5m | judgment |
| CFTC v. Michael Nowak and Gregg Smith (spoofing, 2019) | CFTC | 2019-09-16 | Price Manipulation , Spoofing | $350k | settled |
| CFTC v. Merrill Lynch Commodities (price manipulation, 2019) | CFTC | 2019-06-25 | Price Manipulation , Spoofing | $11.5m | judgment |
| CFTC v. Deutsche Bank (price manipulation, 2018) | CFTC | 2018-01-29 | Price Manipulation , Spoofing | $30m | judgment |