The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Michael J. Osnato Jr., Chief of the Enforcement Division's Complex Financial Instruments Unit, is planning to leave the agency later this month.
For the past three years, Mr. Osnato led the specialized unit of 45 attorneys and industry experts in offices across the country that investigate potential misconduct related to complex financial products and practices involving sophisticated market participants. In addition, Mr. Osnato has played a leading role in SEC programs, including the Enforcement Division's national Cooperation Committee.
"Mike has been an insightful and innovative leader of the Enforcement Division's unit dedicated to policing complex financial instruments and practices," said Stephanie Avakian, Acting Director of the SEC's Enforcement Division. "As the financial crisis ebbed, Mike proactively refocused the unit toward instruments and practices that disadvantaged retail investors, and put a premium on smart and efficient investigative techniques. The investing public is safer because of these efforts."
Mr. Osnato said, "It has been a singular honor to serve alongside the talented staff of the Enforcement Division whose professionalism and commitment to fairness knows no equal. I am particularly proud of my colleagues in the Complex Financial Instruments Unit, who have helped pave the way for the Division's use of novel and streamlined investigative techniques and data analytics to root out the most sophisticated forms of misconduct in today's markets."
Under Mr. Osnato's supervision, the SEC has brought enforcement actions that addressed a wide range of sophisticated misconduct:
Mr. Osnato joined the SEC's Enforcement Division in September 2008. He was promoted to assistant regional director in the SEC's New York Office in 2010. Prior to his arrival at the SEC, Mr. Osnato worked at Shearman & Sterling LLP and later at Linklaters LLP in New York. He earned his bachelor's degree from Williams College and his law degree from Fordham Law School.