NOTICE OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION

NON-MEMBER:

TIAN JIN LIN

COMEX RULES: 539. Prearranged, Pre-Negotiated and Noncompetitive Trades Prohibited (In Part)

539.A. General Prohibition

No person shall prearrange or pre-negotiate any purchase or sale or noncompetitively execute any transaction.

432. General Offenses (In Part)

It shall be an offense:

L. 1. to fail to appear before the Board, Exchange staff or any investigative or hearing committee at a duly convened hearing, scheduled staff interview or in connection with any investigation.

L.3. to fail to produce any books or records requested by duly authorized Exchange staff, in the format and medium specified in the request, within 10 days after such request is made or such shorter period of time as determined by the Market Regulation Department in exigent circumstances;

FINDINGS:

On July 5, 2022, the Chief Regulatory Officer of CME Group’s Market Regulation Department issued charges against Tian Jin Lin for violating Rules 539.A., 432.L.1. and 432.L.3. based on allegations that from July 16, 2018, through May 14, 2019, Lin noncompetitively executed multiple transactions in the Silver futures market, and that Lin failed to appear before Exchange staff for a scheduled interview and produce book and records requested by Exchange staff.

On December 15, 2022, a Hearing Panel Chair of the COMEX Business Conduct Committee (“BCC”) first determined that Lin, having failed to submit a written answer to the charges issued against him, was deemed to have admitted the charges. Lin therefore waived his right to a hearing on the merits of the charges. Pursuant to Rule 408.F., a BCC Panel then found Lin guilty of committing the admitted charges and held a penalty hearing thereafter.

PENALTY:

Based on the record and the Panel’s findings and conclusions, the Panel ordered Lin to pay a fine in the amount of $100,000 in connection with this case and companion case NYMEX 19-1122-BC ($25,000 allocated to COMEX), and permanently suspended Lin from direct access to any trading floor owned or controlled by CME Group and from direct and indirect access to any designated contract market, derivatives clearing organization, or swap execution facility owned or controlled by CME Group.