This news article originally appeared on WealthManagerWeb.com on 4/16/2010. The SEC charged Goldman Sachs & Co. (GS&Co), and an employee, Fabrice Tourre, with fraud on April 16, “for making materially misleading statements and omissions in connection with a synthetic collateralized debt obligation (“CDO”) GS&Co structured and marketed to investors,” according to the SEC complaint. The SEC demanded a jury trial in this case.
The underlying portfolio of securities that backed the synthetic collateralized debt obligation (CDO), named “ABACUS 2007-AC1,” was connected to the performance of residential subprime mortgage backed securities (RMBS). The SEC complaint alleges it was not disclosed to investors that “a large hedge fund, Paulson & Co. Inc. (“Paulson”), with economic interests directly adverse to investors in the ABACUS 2007-AC1 CDO, played a significant role in the portfolio selection process.”
http://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2010/comp-pr2010-59.pdf