SAC Capital Advisors has agreed to plead guilty to insider trading violations and pay a record $1.2 billion penalty, becoming the first large Wall Street firm in a generation to confess to criminal conduct. The move caps a decade-long investigation that turned a once mighty hedge fund into a symbol of financial wrongdoing. The guilty plea and fine paid by SAC, which is owned by the billionaire investor Steven A. Cohen, are part of a broader plea deal that federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced on Monday. It also will impose a five-year probation on the fund and require SAC to terminate its business of managing money for outside investors, though the firm will probably continue to manage Mr. Cohen’s fortune. More in the New York Times here.
