The CFTC announced that it will seek to revoke the registration of an Illinois-based resident and his company, a registered CPO. Joseph A. Dawson is the president and sole principal of Strategic Research LLC. He is subject to disqualification because he was convicted of committing wire fraud and misappropriation.
On March 8, 2011, Dawson pled guilty to three felony counts of wire fraud. The U.S. District Court sentenced him to 54 months of prison and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims.
On April 26, 2011, the U.S. District Court entered a consent order of permanent injunction against Dawson and his unregistered CPO. Dawson admitted to misappropriating $2.1 million of commodity pool participant funds, fraudulently soliciting pool participants, and making material false statements to pool participants in violation of the CEA.