The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged New Jersey resident Justin Jennings and his company Vortex Strategies LLC with insider trading after allegedly using confidential information obtained from his romantic partner to generate approximately $2.7 million in illegal profits across eight corporate events between 2022 and 2024.
The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on June 23, alleges Jennings accessed confidential corporate information stored on his partner’s work laptop and traded ahead of mergers, acquisitions, earnings-related disclosures, and other market-moving announcements involving eight public companies.
The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement of profits, prejudgment interest, and civil penalties. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey simultaneously announced parallel criminal charges.
How The Alleged Scheme Worked
According to the complaint, Jennings was in a long-term romantic relationship with an account executive employed by a New York-based strategic communications and investor relations firm. The employee worked on corporate communications projects involving mergers, acquisitions, earnings announcements, and other material events for publicly traded companies.
The SEC alleges Jennings exploited that relationship to gain access to confidential information. His partner regularly brought home a company-issued laptop that provided access to internal databases containing draft press releases, corporate communications plans, investor relations documents, and transaction materials. The complaint states that Jennings learned how to use the firm’s database system after being shown its functionality by his partner, who believed he was interested because of his coding and database work.
Investigators allege Jennings repeatedly accessed confidential deal documents shortly before placing highly concentrated options and stock trades. The SEC claims he reviewed draft acquisition announcements, transaction details, pricing information, and earnings-related disclosures before building positions designed to profit from the expected market reaction.
The regulator further alleges the account executive never authorized Jennings to access confidential files, never shared the information with him, and never traded ahead of the announcements herself.
Eight Trades Generated $2.7 Million
The SEC complaint details eight separate corporate events that allegedly generated profits for Jennings and Vortex Strategies.
The trades began in February 2022 when Jennings allegedly purchased call options in US Ecology before the company’s acquisition by Republic Services. The stock jumped 67.7% following the announcement, producing approximately $27,600 in profits.
Days later, he allegedly purchased Tenneco call options before Apollo Global Management announced its acquisition of the company. Tenneco shares rose 93.9%, generating approximately $65,800 in profits.
The pattern allegedly continued across acquisitions involving Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives, Myovant Sciences, TravelCenters of America, and Everi Holdings. The complaint also describes trades tied to Discover Financial Services’ disclosure of a $365 million liability and EVgo’s announcement that it had been selected for a U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee of up to $1.25 billion.
The largest profits allegedly came from two trades. Discover put options generated approximately $983,600 after the stock fell 15.9% following its liability disclosure. TravelCenters options generated approximately $858,500 after BP announced its acquisition of the company.
The SEC calculates that Jennings and Vortex ultimately realized approximately $2.7 million across all eight trades.
| Company | Corporate Event | Share Price Move | Alleged Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Ecology | Acquisition | +67.7% | $27,600 |
| Tenneco | Acquisition | +93.9% | $65,800 |
| IEA | Acquisition | +31.8% | $37,200 |
| Myovant | Acquisition | +36.1% | $27,300 |
| TravelCenters | Acquisition | +70.8% | $859,200 |
| Discover | Liability Disclosure | -15.9% | $983,600 |
| Everi | Acquisition | +40.3% | $376,300 |
| EVgo | DOE Loan Guarantee | +60.8% | $351,800 |
Former Soccer Player Turned Data Scientist
An unusual element of the case is Jennings’ background.
According to the SEC, Jennings retired from professional soccer in late 2021 and subsequently worked for a property management company before transitioning into freelance coding and eventually establishing a data science business. The complaint states that Jennings had no securities industry experience.
The regulator nevertheless alleges that he became adept at identifying market-moving information from draft corporate communications. Some documents reportedly used code names or omitted company identities, yet investigators claim the materials contained sufficient information for Jennings to determine which companies were involved.
Relationship-Based Insider Trading Cases Remain A Regulatory Focus
The SEC’s theory relies on the “misappropriation” doctrine of insider trading. Under that framework, a person commits securities fraud when they misuse confidential information obtained through a relationship of trust and confidence.
The complaint specifically alleges Jennings owed a duty of trust and confidence to his romantic partner and knew that she expected him not to access confidential work information or trade on it for personal benefit.
Relationship-based insider trading cases have historically produced some of the SEC’s most prominent enforcement actions. Regulators have pursued cases involving spouses, family members, roommates, friends, and romantic partners who allegedly misused confidential information obtained through personal relationships.
The case also demonstrates how regulators increasingly use digital forensic evidence. The SEC alleges that records showed Jennings accessed confidential documents shortly before trading and that investigators discovered screenshots of draft corporate announcements in his iCloud account.
SEC Continues Insider Trading Crackdown
The filing arrives as U.S. regulators continue pursuing insider trading cases across both traditional and digital markets.
Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in New York announced guilty pleas from a broker and three traders who admitted participating in a years-long insider trading scheme involving secondary stock offerings that generated more than $1 million in illegal profits.
The Jennings case differs because it centers on information allegedly obtained from a communications and investor relations firm rather than investment banks, brokers, or corporate insiders. The complaint highlights how sensitive information often exists across a broader ecosystem of advisers, consultants, public relations firms, lawyers, and service providers before reaching public markets.
If successful, the SEC’s action could reinforce regulatory expectations regarding access controls, confidentiality obligations, and information security practices among firms that routinely handle market-moving information.
Takeaway
The SEC’s complaint against Justin Jennings is notable not only because of the alleged $2.7 million profit, but because of how the information was allegedly obtained. Rather than involving a corporate insider or investment banker, the case centers on confidential information accessed through a romantic relationship and a communications firm’s internal systems. The enforcement action highlights the growing regulatory focus on information security beyond corporate boardrooms and trading desks, extending to the broader network of firms that manage sensitive market information before it reaches investors.