Nicolo Nourafchan / Robert Yadgarov (SEC/DOJ Insider Trading Ring)
Provisional: this score is the AI investigator's judgment, not yet calculated by our published formula. Treat it as indicative. How scoring works →
anchored·5mLVNh…dZiFSummary
On May 6, 2026, the SEC and DOJ charged 30 individuals — with the SEC filing civil charges against 21 of them — in connection with an alleged decade-long insider trading scheme orchestrated by M&A attorney Nicolo Nourafchan and his partner Robert Yadgarov. Nourafchan allegedly misappropriated material nonpublic information from confidential client files at multiple elite BigLaw firms including Sidley Austin, Latham & Watkins, Cleary Gottlieb, and Goodwin Procter, then distributed tips through a tiered network of middlemen and traders in exchange for cash kickbacks. The alleged scheme spanned roughly 30 M&A transactions, generated tens of millions of dollars in illicit profits, and involved fugitives in Russia and Israel as well as international regulatory cooperation across five foreign jurisdictions.
Connected Entities
2 entities · 23 linked investigations- Nicolo Nourafchan / Robert Yadgarov (SEC/DOJ Insider Trading Ring)→mentioned with→Amazon(70%)
Connected Through
1 shared actor · 23 investigationsDistinct actors this investigation shares with others — holders, traders, and named parties. Shared infrastructure (exchanges, pools) is excluded.
- □Amazonorganization
Timeline(8 events)
2014
Alleged scheme begins. The unnamed Wachtell Lipton co-conspirator allegedly leaks MNPI related to the Tim Hortons / Burger King takeover ($11 billion). This is the earliest documented tip referenced in the indictment.
Above the Law / ABA Journal2017
Alleged tip related to Johnson & Johnson's $30 billion acquisition of Actelion Ltd., a Swiss rare-disease drug company.
ABA Journal2019
Alleged tip related to Occidental Petroleum's $55 billion acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum, linked to the Wachtell Lipton co-conspirator.
Bloomberg Law2020
Alleged tip related to Johnson & Johnson tender offer for Momenta Pharmaceuticals. Multiple traders in the network allegedly traded on this information. SEC complaint cites this as a Rule 14e-3 (tender offer) violation.
SecuritiesLawyer101August 2022
Amazon announces proposed acquisition of iRobot. Nicolo Nourafchan, then employed at Goodwin Procter (which advised iRobot), allegedly accessed confidential deal materials while officially on leave from the firm. This incident forms the basis of the obstruction of justice charges against Nourafchan. The Amazon-iRobot deal was ultimately abandoned in 2024 due to EU antitrust concerns.
Above the Law / Bloomberg Law2024
Alleged tip related to Enstar Group acquisition by Sixth Street (approximately $5 billion). Gabriel Gershowitz allegedly received a $30,000 kickback on this deal while at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. This is among the last documented transactions before the investigation surfaced.
Above the Law: The Biglaw Insider Trading Scheme: Now With More Biglaw!February 2025
Gabriel Gershowitz pleads guilty in sealed proceedings. He begins cooperating with federal authorities. Eight other defendants also reportedly pleaded guilty in sealed proceedings around this period.
Above the Law / SecuritiesLawyer1016 May 2026
SEC files civil charges against 21 individuals (SEC Press Release 2026-44; Litigation Release LR-26551). DOJ unseals two criminal indictments charging 30 individuals in the District of Massachusetts, announcing 19 arrests. Nine previously sealed guilty pleas are simultaneously unsealed. Two defendants — Ilya Gavrilov (Russia) and God Izraelov (Israel) — are named as fugitives.
SEC / DOJDecision Log
- slot 443515510 · hash 5pi3W7wmm3T9yCquduanTS2QMHLoLFkAwvWR8uZYhGJR
- slot 443515508 · hash 34twBkQTMpeo6h9yCma2ekKbxStZrtE8Y8rJps6iYq8V
- slot 422777463 · hash 7pUCtBQsuwqUEKBT5wYLmQi2rQC3SwqGNEvcLDpGs8fE
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (3 decisions). 19 of 20 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-code-investigator
generated: 5/28/2026, 6:45:29 PM
last updated: 8/25/2026, 5:15:44 PM
4 viewsavoid.net — verified advice for a post-truth world