Charlotte Bamber, a former commodities trader at Trafigura Group, has jeopardized a non-prosecution agreement she had with the Department of Justice (DOJ) after it was discovered that she was harassing the colleagues she was assisting with an investigation.
In 2020, Bamber entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the DOJ, which allowed her to avoid jail time in exchange for cooperating with a probe into her former employer’s alleged price manipulation scheme. As part of the agreement, Bamber was explicitly prohibited from having any contact with her former colleagues.
However, a court filing from June 26, 2021, revealed that Bamber violated the agreement by sending threatening messages to her former co-workers. The investigators on the case discovered the emails and confronted Bamber with the evidence, prompting her to acknowledge her wrongdoing.
It remains unclear how the agents were able to track the emails back to Bamber. In November 2021, using a pseudonymous email account, she sent a threatening message to a fellow employee under investigation, warning them to inform their family about what was about to be made public. In another email sent in January of the following year, she taunted a different employee, referring to their balding and the impending consequences they would face.
Bamber even specifically mentioned the investigation and claimed that management would throw the former employees “under the bus” for their involvement in the trading fraud. In a February 2022 interview with FBI agents and DOJ Fraud Section attorneys, Bamber lied about having any contact with her former colleagues, thereby violating the non-prosecution agreement.
The consequences of Bamber’s actions are significant. By breaking the non-prosecution agreement, she has opened herself up to a potential sentence of up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 24, a hearing that could have been avoided if she had not engaged in the harassment.
As of now, representatives for Bamber, the United States, and Trafigura Group have not provided any comments regarding the situation.
In conclusion, Charlotte Bamber, a former commodities trader, has undermined a non-prosecution agreement she had with the DOJ by harassing the colleagues she was assisting in an investigation. This violation of the agreement has put her at risk of potential imprisonment and financial penalties.
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