Activist short seller convicted of securities fraud for trades tied to Nvidia, Tesla and more

Andrew Left, the outspoken activist short seller who built a career exposing alleged corporate frauds and betting against stocks, was convicted Monday by a federal jury in Los Angeles on securities fraud charges over manipulating stock prices.The jury found Left, 55, guilty on one securities-fraud scheme count and 12 securities-fraud counts.The conviction marked a dramatic fall for the founder of Citron Research, whose reports once rattled Wall Street and sent targeted stocks tumbling.Federal prosecutors said Left used his reputation and social-media following to move stock prices in his favor, publicly touting bullish or bearish views before quickly exiting trades once prices moved.“The jury got it wrong,” Left told reporters outside court after of court.

“Obviously, this is not the end of the road for us.”Left said he plans to appeal.The conviction culminated a years-long federal investigation into whether prominent short sellers used their public platforms to manipulate markets.Left’s stock commentary was designed less to reflect genuine conviction than to trigger short-term price swings that generated profits for his own trading accounts, prosecutors said.Left earned roughly $20 million from the trades at issue in the case, according to the feds.The Justice Department highlighted examples in which Left publicly promoted stocks or criticized companies, then rapidly closed out positions after shares moved in the desired direction.He was convicted on counts involving trades on Nvidia, Tesla, Cronos Group, American Airlines and other companies.The jury acquitted him on several counts tied to trades involving Beyond Meat, General Electric, Luckin Coffee and Namaste Technologies.Left testified in his own defense during the three-week trial, insisting his market commentary reflected honest opinions and denying any effort to deceive investors.He argued that he was simply an active trader and maintained that no rule required him to disclose every trade or how...