Robert Del Prete
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Litigation Release No. 25859 / September 27, 2023
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Robert Del Prete., No. 23-CV-20452 (MAS) (DEA) (D.N.J. filed September 18, 2023)
SEC Obtains Judgment Against Former SPAC Accounting Consultant Charged with Insider Trading
On September 25, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey entered judgment against Robert Del Prete for engaging in insider trading when he purchased shares of HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp. ("HighCape"), a special purpose acquisition company, in advance the company's announcement that it would merge with Quantum-Si Incorporated ("QSI").
The SEC's complaint alleges that Del Prete, an accounting consultant to HighCape, was present at HighCape's board meetings on January 27 and February 17, 2021, at which the planned merger with QSI was discussed. The complaint alleges that Del Prete, who had agreed to keep HighCape's proprietary information confidential, bought shares of HighCape on February 17, 2021, less than an hour after attending the board meeting that day. The complaint further alleges that, within hours of HighCape's February 18, 2021, press release announcing the deal, Del Prete liquidated his position, realizing an approximate one-hundred percent profit of $60,170 from his illegal trading.
Without admitting or denying the allegations, Del Prete consented to the entry of a judgment that permanently enjoins him from violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and bars him from acting as an officer or director of a publicly traded company. Monetary remedies against Del Prete will be determined by the court at a later date upon motion of the SEC.
The SEC's litigation is being handled by Ibrahim Sajalieu Bah of the New York Regional Office and is being supervised by Celeste Chase and Thomas P. Smith, Jr.