Short seller Andrew Left convicted of securities fraud in California

A federal jury in California has convicted short seller Andrew Left of securities fraud. Left, who was a securities analyst, trader and guest commentator on television channels including CNBC and Fox Business, was charged in July 2024 with one count of engaging in a securities fraud scheme, 17 counts of securities fraud and one count of making false statements to federal investigators. As a short seller, Left would make money betting that stocks would fall. The justice department said on Tuesday that Left was convicted of one count of participating in a securities fraud scheme and 12 counts of securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on 31 August. He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. “Andrew Left used his expertise to profit at the expense of retail investors, ordinary people who owned the stocks he targeted. He callously boasted that it was like ‘taking candy from a baby’,” A Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general of the justice department’s criminal division, said in a statement. “Egregious schemes like this strike at the heart of free, fair and open markets, and warrant prosecution when they involve criminal manipulation. …