It has been an honor and a privilege to work for nearly 18 years with colleagues at the Commission whose talents, dedication, and professionalism represent the very best in government service.
Christopher R. Conte
Associate Director
SEC Enforcement Division
Washington, D.C., Aug. 30, 2010 The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Christopher R. Conte, an Associate Director in the Division of Enforcement, will leave the SEC next month after nearly 18 years of public service at the agency.
Mr. Conte has overseen many significant enforcement cases ranging from accounting fraud and disclosure violations to unlawful market timing. For example, Mr. Conte played a lead role in the SEC's enforcement actions against Dell Inc. and its senior officers and against former executives at Comverse Technology. He also helped guide the SEC's cases against Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, and Robertson Stephens, Inc involving unlawful IPO allocation practices.
"Chris's extensive experience and deep commitment to investor protection made him a strong force in the effort to hold accountable those who violate the securities laws," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement. "After a long and fruitful career at the SEC we wish Chris the very best."
Mr. Conte said, "It has been an honor and a privilege to work for nearly 18 years with colleagues at the Commission whose talents, dedication, and professionalism represent the very best in government service. I am truly grateful and proud to have had this opportunity to serve the Commission and its mission to protect investors and safeguard capital markets."
Mr. Conte will join the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson LLP in September as a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., office.
Mr. Conte, 49, joined the SEC as a staff attorney in November 1992. He was promoted to the positions of Branch Chief in 1997, Deputy Assistant Director in 1999, and Assistant Director in 2000. Mr. Conte became an Associate Director in October 2006. Prior to joining the SEC, Mr. Conte was in private practice.
During his SEC tenure, Mr. Conte has overseen and conducted enforcement
investigations involving illicit payments under the Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act, manipulative short selling practices, and insider trading
by corporate insiders and other professionals. He also supervised
enforcement actions involving violations by broker-dealers and investment
advisers including e-mail preservation and production failures, audit
failures, violations of auditor independence rules, and violations of the
SEC's proxy rules, tender offer rules, and rules requiring the reporting
of securities holdings.
Mr. Conte coordinated numerous enforcement
matters with other federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S.
Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney offices as well as self-regulatory
organizations including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
(FINRA).
Mr. Conte received his BA from Brown University in 1983 and his JD from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in 1988.
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