Some interesting passages from the New York Times news article about yesterday's Second Circuit opinion on the insider trading case:
Judges wield unusual sway in shaping insider trading law, in part because the act of insider trading is not explicitly prohibited in a federal statute. In its place, a patchwork of legal opinions and regulations define the law. ...
The dismissal of the case also raises questions about the November 2010 raids of Level Global and Diamondback Capital Management by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Soon after the raid on Level Global, the hedge fund, which was started by Mr. Chiasson and David Ganek, shut down, in part because of requests by investors to redeem their money after the raid. Mr. Ganek was never charged with any wrongdoing by federal authorities.
Diamondback, where Mr. Newman was a portfolio manager, continued to operate for another two years, but it decided to close its doors in December 2012 after receiving a wave of investor redemptions.
Mr. Ganek chided the government in a statement on Wednesday. "For the dozens of my high-integrity colleagues at Level Global who lost their jobs and their reputations because the F.B.I. improperly raided our firm in this now-discredited fishing expedition, today's legal vindication is a reminder how prosecutorial recklessness has real impact on real people," he said.