by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, June 29 – As one of four insider trading prosecutions announced on June 29, 2023 by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Amit Dagar and Atul Bhiwapurkar were charged with options trading based on inside information about the results of clinical trials of Paxlovid, a medicine used to treat COVID-19.
The four prosecutions come a week after the conviction in SDNY of Brijesh Goel, formerly of Goldman Sachs. Goel testified on his own behalf in a trial covered by Inner City Press, which is also reporteding weekly on the SDNY prosecutors murky deal with Sam Bankman-Fried to agree to extradition from the Bahamas apparently in exchange for not seeking detention (unlike on Avi Eisenberg) and now with the China bribe charges severed or dropped.
Dagar was an employee of Pfizer Inc. and assisted in managing the data analysis in certain clinical drug trials. On November 4, 2021, Dagar learned that a Pfizer trial of the drug Paxlovid, a medicine designed to treat mild to severe COVID‑19 infection, had produced positive results. Dagar purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money call options in Pfizer stock. DAGAR also tipped his close friend, ATUL BHIWAPURKAR, about the coming drug results and BHIWAPURKAR also purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money Pfizer call options that expired approximately two weeks later. BHIWAPURKAR also tipped another friend (called “Individual-1”), who similarly purchased short-dated, out-of-the-money Pfizer call options... DAGAR, BHIWAPURKAR, and Individual-1 sold their Pfizer call options at significant profits, totaling approximately more than $350,000.
What's up with Individial-1?
Inner City Press attended the arraignment, thread:
AUSA: He can be released today on $1 million bond secured by his real estate, can communicate with co-defendant but not about this case. Defense lawyer Smith: Dagar is headed to the Poconos. AUSA does not object
The next proceeding is set for July 11 at 12:30 pm
The case is US v. Dagar, et al., 23-cr-319 (Carter)
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