# CFTC Charges Utah Residents Christopher Hales, Eric Richardson and their Company, Bentley Equities, LLC, with Fraud and Misappropriation

> CFTC release 6250-12 · 2012-05-04 · **Fraud** · ENFORCEMENT

## Key facts

- **Release number:** 6250-12
- **Release date:** 2012-05-04
- **Type:** Fraud
- **Title:** CFTC Charges Utah Residents Christopher Hales, Eric Richardson and their Company, Bentley Equities, LLC, with Fraud and Misappropriation
- **Primary source:** https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/6250-12

## 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 6250-12, "CFTC Charges Utah Residents Christopher Hales, Eric Richardson and their Company, Bentley Equities, LLC, with Fraud and Misappropriation", 2012-05-04. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-06 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/cftc-action/6250-12.

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