The Federal Bureau of Investigation has unsealed an indictment in which a former Goldman Sachs and Blackstone analyst is being accused of using Xbox 360 chat, among other mediums, to pass insider trading tips to friends.
Two men, Anthony Viggiano and Stephen Forlano Jr., are listed as the defendants in the indictment. Viggiano allegedly sent tips to Forlano and another individual, Christopher Salamone, about non-public strategic partnerships and acquisitions his employers would be making. Viggiano worked at Blackstone and Goldman Sachs during the time he allegedly sent the tips. According to the indictment, Viggiano engaged in the activity eight times from 2021 to 2023. The total that was seemingly acquired using means that are in violation of U.S. law was “approximately $300,000.”
Puzzlingly, several of the tips were allegedly passed through Xbox 360 chat. Salamone recorded Viggiano saying, in part, “Nah. Nah. Because similar to you . .. signal, or like XBOX 360 chat, there’s no tracing that. Good luck ever finding that,” after being initially interviewed by the FBI, during a conversation about which member of the scheme could possibly flip. Viggiano was unaware he was being recorded by Salamone.
While there’s room for Viggiano to be referring to the Xbox One and simply getting it wrong, Xbox 360 servers are still active with a purchase of Xbox Live. No matter what console was used, the FBI specifically named “a video game console’s communication platform” as a medium in which the information was passed from party to party.
According to a press release, Viggiano and Forlano Jr. were arrested on Sept. 28. Viggiano was charged with eight counts of securities fraud, and Forlano Jr. and Salamone were charged with three counts.
