Roxy Jacenko is an Australian socialite, PR woman, and author. Her husband has been found guilty of insider trading. Photo / Getty
Roxy Jacenko is an Australian socialite, PR woman, and author. Her husband has been found guilty of insider trading. Photo / Getty
Oliver Peter Curtis, the husband of PR queen Roxy Jacenko, has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit insider trading following a high-profile NSW Supreme Court trial.
He offered little reaction as the jury foreman handed down the verdict about 3pm AEST yesterday. But Curtis's wife, well-known publicist Roxy Jacenko,appeared to wipe away tears in the moments that followed.
The defendant's father bowed his head briefly from the packed public gallery before hugging loved ones.
Curtis has remained at liberty throughout his trial and the two days of jury deliberations that followed, and was permitted to walk from the courthouse on the condition that he abides by tougher bail restrictions.
The trial heard that Curtis made 45 trades to a profit of A$1.433 million ($1.5b) based on confidential information, given to him by former Orion Asset Management employee and high-school friend John Hartman, between May 2007 and June 2008.
Hartman, who told brokers what to trade on behalf of Orion, would send Curtis messages directing him to buy or sell a particular number of Contracts for Difference (CFDs) on a particular company's stock at specific times.
On one occasion, Curtis traded more than 30,000 CFDs and earned A$11,000, from the information on Orion, which managed A$6 billion worth of stock at the time.
The trade was completed the day after he put A$80,000 into a new CMC Markets trading account and two days after he bought Hartman a A$99 BlackBerry.
The court heard Curtis had known Hartman since the 1990s and they both grew up in Mosman.
Hartman has served a jail sentence for insider trading offences and received a discount for assisting Curtis' prosecution.
Curtis faces the maximum sentence of five years in jail.
