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FBI raids Two World Financial Center
Agents arrest 48 currency brokers at Wall St. building in connection with a possible currency scam.
November 19, 2003: 9:49 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested 48 foreign exchange brokers late Tuesday in connection with a lengthy probe into securities and currency fraud.

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Federal agents arrested 48 foreign exchange brokers late Tuesday in connection with currency fraud. CNNfn's Chris Huntington reports.

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The FBI swarmed on New York City's Two World Financial Center shortly after 3 p.m. ET and took away the traders in handcuffs, people on the scene told CNNfn. The building is mainly occupied by Wall Street brokerage Merrill Lynch, but Merrill Lynch was not home to the arrested brokers.

"It's currency fraud, securities fraud," an agent at the scene of the arrests told Reuters. "It's been a long investigation." The agent asked not to be identified.

The FBI sources said the Wall Street traders will be charged with swindling retail investors of an undisclosed amount of cash over the past year. One source said those arrested would be charged with money laundering and fraud.

NBC reported the defendants scammed retail investors into thinking they were buying multimillion-dollar foreign exchange trades when it is not possible for those types of investors to participate in such deals.

A Reuters reporter on the 36th floor of Two World Financial Center witnessed FBI agents removing about 10 boxes from one company's office.

A spokesman for the FBI declined comment but said the agency will hold a briefing on Wednesday. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney and the Treasury Department also declined comment.

Among those arrested were three brokers at the inter-dealer brokerage ICAP, which operates at a different location, a different individual told Reuters. An employee of currency broker Madison Deane and Associates Inc. said that seven employees at that firm were arrested. People familliar with the arrest told Reuters that at least two other firms were involved and said none of the companies targeted were household names outside of the securities industry but are well known and regarded in the Wall Street community.  Top of page


-- Reuters contributed to the story




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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.