{"id":624,"date":"2026-06-03T17:52:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=624"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:52:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:52:58","slug":"top-short-seller-andrew-lift-convicted-of-securities-fraud-after-getting-caught-saying-taking-candy-from-a-baby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=624","title":{"rendered":"Top short seller Andrew Lift convicted of securities fraud after getting caught saying \u2018taking candy from a baby\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left, who was a securities analyst, trader, and guest commentator on television channels including CNBC and Fox Business, was charged in July 2024 with one count of engaging in a securities fraud scheme, 17 counts of securities fraud, and one count of making false statements to federal investigators. As a short seller, Left would make money betting that stocks would fall.<\/p>\n

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The Justice Department said Tuesday that Left was convicted of one count of participating in a securities fraud scheme and 12 counts of securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31. He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAndrew Left used his expertise to profit at the expense of retail investors, ordinary people who owned the stocks he targeted. He callously boasted that it was like \u2018taking candy from a baby,\u2019\u201d Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department\u2019s Criminal Division, said in a statement. \u201cEgregious schemes like this strike at the heart of free, fair and open markets, and warrant prosecution when they involve criminal manipulation. Investors should have confidence that U.S. markets are safe and free from the type of deliberate manipulation that Left engaged in to enrich himself at the expense of American investors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Justice Department previously said that Left conducted business under the name Citron Research, which had a website that published investment recommendations. He published research on companies ranging from Tesla and\u00a0GameStop\u00a0to Grand Canyon Education and\u00a0Peloton.<\/p>\n

According to the indictment, Left would comment on publicly traded companies and make recommendations on the shares. The commentary often included sensationalized headlines (\u201cInvestors Peddling Themselves into Frenzy\u201d) and exaggerated language to maximize the reaction it would get from the stock market. As alleged, Left knowingly exploited his ability to move stock prices by targeting stocks popular with retail investors and posting recommendations on social media to manipulate the market and make fast, easy money.<\/p>\n

Read more Kalshi reported former Rep. George Santos for allegedly placing a bet on the marketplace against his own attendance at the State of the Union<\/a><\/p>\n

The indictment further alleged that before Citron would publish its commentary, Left would create long or short positions in a public company on which he was commenting in his trading accounts and prepared to quickly close those positions after Citron\u2019s publication and take profits on the short-term price movement caused by his commentary.<\/p>\n

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In a post on social media platform X under the Citron Research handle, Left expressed his opposition to the conviction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe disagree with the jury and this does not stop here,\u201d the post said. \u201cWe will keep fighting for free, honest speech and opportunity, the backbone of this country. This is not over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more He\u2019s got golden hair, weighs 1,500 pounds, and he\u2019s a rare albino buffalo. Bangladesh is calling him \u2018Donald Trump\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

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Citron Research’s founder built a career telling retail investors the truth about bad stocks. 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