Antonia Chion Named Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2002-78

Washington, D.C., May 30, 2002 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointment of Antonia "Toni" Chion as associate director of the Division of Enforcement. Chion succeeds Linda Chatman Thomsen, who was appointed deputy director of the division in January 2002.

"Toni has successfully tackled some of the most demanding investigations in the enforcement program, mastering complex areas of the law and gaining an in-depth knowledge of the securities markets," said Stephen M. Cutler, Director of Enforcement. "She has proven herself a tireless and effective leader who can be counted on to get the job done. Her expertise, developed through 14 years at the Commission, and her prior experience as a prosecutor will serve the investing public well."

As associate director, Chion will serve as a senior official in the Division of Enforcement and will assist in planning and directing the Commission's enforcement efforts.

Chion, 48, joined the Commission's staff in 1988 as a staff attorney in the Division of Enforcement. In 1990, Chion became a branch chief, and she was named assistant director for the Division of Enforcement in 1996. During her tenure at the Commission, she has overseen the investigation of numerous cases in a variety of areas, including financial fraud, misconduct by regulated entities (including a recent action against iCapital Markets, LLC), market manipulation, and insider trading (including the first Internet-related insider trading case, which involved 19 defendants).

Before coming to the Commission, Chion was a deputy bureau chief and supervisor in the Narcotics Bureau of the Office of the Kings County District Attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she previously served as a trial assistant district attorney. She received her A.B. from Tufts University and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.