NEW YORK - 
(NewMediaWire) - November 27, 2024 - Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP is investigating potential securities laws violations in connection with investments in Western Asset Management Company’s (WAMCO) U.S. Core strategy (“Core”) and U.S. Core Plus strategy (“Core Plus”), including investors in mutual funds Western Asset Core Bond Fund (Ticker: WATFX) (the “Core Mutual Fund”) and Western Asset Core Plus Bond Fund (Ticker: WACPX) (the “Core Plus Mutual Fund”).
On November 25, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced civil and criminal charges against S. Kenneth Leech (“Leech”), the former co-Chief Investment Officer of WAMCO for “engaging in a multi-year scheme to allocate favorable trades to certain portfolios, while allocating unfavorable trades to other portfolios, a practice known as cherry picking.” The indictment alleges that Leech assigned over $600 million of gains to favored clients and over $600 million of losses to disfavored clients. Leech is charged with securities fraud, investment advisor fraud, commodity trading advisor fraud, commodities fraud and false statements. Leech’s alleged victims include both institutional and retail investors.
According to the SEC Complaint, “Disfavored Portfolios” primarily included portfolios in the Core and Core Plus strategies, including investors in the Core Mutual Fund (Ticker: WATFX), and the Core Plus Mutual Fund (Ticker: WACPX). According to the government filings, investors during the period January 2021 through October 2023 may have been affected by the alleged wrongful cherry-picking scheme.
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If you have any questions about this investigation, please contact:
Jeffrey P. Campisi
KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP
800 Third Avenue, 38th Floor
New York, New York 10022
(212) 329-8571
jcampisi@kaplanfox.com
Laurence D. King
KAPLAN FOX & KILSHEIMER LLP
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 1560
Oakland, California 94612
(415) 772-4704
lking@kaplanfox.com
