Eugene Plotkin

Former Goldman Sachs analyst Eugene Plotkin was sentenced to almost five years in prison for his role in an elaborate series of insider trading schemes.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: Russia
2. Residence: New York, New York
3. School: California Institute of Technology; Harvard University
4. Occupation: former Goldman Sachs associate
5. Accomplices: David Pajcin, Stanislav Shpigelman, Jason C. Smith
6. Location of crime: New York; Wisconsin
7. Convicted of: Securities fraud; insider trading
8. Sentenced to: Fifty seven months in prison and $10,000 fine
9. Former professional ballroom dancer

Key Dates:

• 2004: Plotkin, with co-conspirator David Pajcin first meet Merrill Lynch analyst Stanislav Shpigelman at Russian day spa in effort to obtain insider information on upcoming mergers
• August 29, 2005: Croatian-born retired tailor and cleaning lady Sonja Anticevic purchases $130,000 of Reebok call options
• August 3, 2005: Reebok announced it was being acquired by Adidas; SEC notified of unusual trading activity prior to announcement
• January 4, 2008: Plotkin sentenced to 57 months in prison

Narrative:

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Plotkin hatched a series of elaborate schemes meant to obtain insider information. These schemes included recruiting co-defendants Nickolaus Shuster and Juan Renteria to work at a Wisconsin printing plant that published Business Week in an effort to read favorable company notices prior to publication; recruiting analyst Shpigelman to provide Plotkin with information concerning upcoming mergers, including the Adidas takeover of Reebok; and recruiting individuals such as Croatian tailor Sonja Anticevic and an exotic dancer to make the stock purchases based on insider information.

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