Hedge Fund Priest Sued by SEC for Alleged Stock Manipulation
- Lemelson tried to profit by driving down share price: SEC
- Agency says his fund made $1.3 million in illegal profits
Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg
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A Massachusetts priest who moonlights as a hedge fund manager was sued by federal regulators for allegedly making false statements about a biotech company to try to drive down its share price.
In an attempt to profit from his short position, Emmanuel Lemelson published false “research reports” about Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. on popular investing websites, including Seeking Alpha, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.