Dawdy Speaker Series brings “Tipper X” to Cornell Hall

On April 14, the School of Accountancy hosted “Tipper X” – an insider trading informant for the FBI in 2008 and 2009 – as part of its Dawdy Speaker Series.

The man known as Tipper X, Tom Hardin, told his story clearly and compellingly to members of the Trulaske community in a full Bush Auditorium. Throughout his talk, he discussed the ethics lessons he learned after being caught for insider trading.

Hardin’s story covered the four illegal trades he made in 2007 as an analyst at a tech stock-focused hedge fund, resulting in $1.2 million in profit for his firm. In 2008, he was approached by the FBI to wear a wire and record phone calls to allow them to identify other hedge fund managers and analysts involved in insider trading. He agreed to do so. Hardin himself pled guilty in 2009.

In addition to identifying why people make unethical decisions – and how attendees can prevent making unethical decisions – Hardin spoke candidly about the impact of a felony conviction on his life and livelihood, saying, “I lost my past and my future.” He noted to attendees that he is no longer able to utilize his degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, or even have a checking account because he’s on an anti-money laundering watch list.

Following the presentation, attendees took about a half hour to ask questions about Hardin’s experience and the importance of ethical behavior.

The Dawdy Speaker Series is focused on fraud examination, forensic investigations, and regulation, and  is supported by Jay Dawdy, BS Acc ’89, the president and CEO of Gryphon Strategies in New York.

For more on the creation of the Dawdy Speaker series, see Mizzou Magazine’s Summer 2011 issue.