SEC awards $18 million to three whistleblowers

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday it is awarding three whistleblowers a combined $18 million for information and assistance that led to a successful enforcement action.

The agency said in a statement that the first whistleblower provided it with “detailed and significant” information that led to the opening of an investigation into a fraudulent scheme, while the second and third provided information later in the investigation that significantly contributed to the enforcement action’s success.

The SEC awarded more than $5 million to a whistleblower in January, which followed a more than $20 million award in December, a $20 million award in November and a more than $10 million award in October.