# CFTC SETTLES LAWSUIT WITH AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY AND AEP ENERGY SERVICES, INC. FOR FALSE REPORTING AND ATTEMPTED MANIPULATION IN NATURAL GAS MARKETS; Federal Government Collects $81 Million: Defendants Ordered to Pay $30 Million Civil Monetary Penalty to CFTC; AEP Energy Services, Inc. to Pay an Additional $30 Million to U.S.Department of Justice to Avoid Federal Criminal Prosecution, and $21 Million to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

> CFTC release 5041-05 · 2005-01-26 · **Market manipulation** · ENFORCEMENT

## Key facts

- **Release number:** 5041-05
- **Release date:** 2005-01-26
- **Type:** Market manipulation
- **Title:** CFTC SETTLES LAWSUIT WITH AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY AND AEP ENERGY SERVICES, INC. FOR FALSE REPORTING AND ATTEMPTED MANIPULATION IN NATURAL GAS MARKETS; Federal Government Collects $81 Million: Defendants Ordered to Pay $30 Million Civil Monetary Penalty to CFTC; AEP Energy Services, Inc. to Pay an Additional $30 Million to U.S.Department of Justice to Avoid Federal Criminal Prosecution, and $21 Million to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- **Primary source:** https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/5041-05

## What this is

CFTC enforcement actions cover derivatives + commodities + crypto fraud cases. The Commission charges market participants under the Commodity Exchange Act for spoofing, manipulation, fraud, wash trades, registration violations, and pool-operator misconduct. Most actions settle with restitution + civil money penalty + a bar/suspension.


## Citation

> US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, press release 5041-05, "CFTC SETTLES LAWSUIT WITH AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY AND AEP ENERGY SERVICES, INC. FOR FALSE REPORTING AND ATTEMPTED MANIPULATION IN NATURAL GAS MARKETS; Federal Government Collects $81 Million: Defendants Ordered to Pay $30 Million Civil Monetary Penalty to CFTC; AEP Energy Services, Inc. to Pay an Additional $30 Million to U.S.Department of Justice to Avoid Federal Criminal Prosecution, and $21 Million to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission", 2005-01-26. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-17 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/cftc-action/5041-05.

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