Insider trading fees against a former Equifax manager related to a data breach

His profit was $ 75,000, the SEC said. Bonthu agreed to repay the money plus interest and obtain a permanent injunction to settle the charges of the SEC

In a statement, Atlanta-based Equifax said: "By learning sales Equator shares by Mr. Bonthu, we immediately have a review of his business activity and separated him from our company after he refused to cooperate with our investigation. fully with the SEC and the Department of Justice and will continue to do so.We take corporate governance and compliance very seriously, and will not tolerate violations of our policies. "

After the violation data was revealed, questions about executives selling stock in the company emerged. Four senior executives sold nearly $ 2 million in stock just days after the discovery of the breach internally, but weeks before the public became aware of it. A special board committee concluded that the sales of these officers were not irregular and that they did not know the breach at the time of the sale.

But another officer, Jun Ying, was charged in March with insider trading. . Prosecutors say that he used internal knowledge and sold the equivalent of $ 950,000 worth of shares before the breach was made public and Equifax shares dropped by 14 percent. %

Richard Best, director of the Atlanta office of the SEC. can not abuse their access to sensitive information and illegally enrich themselves. "

The SEC has stated that the investigation is continuing.