Doron A. Tavlin, Afshin Farahan, and David Gantman

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 26367 / August 6, 2025

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Doron A. Tavlin, Afshin Farahan, and David Gantman, No. 22-cv-01723 (D. Minn. filed July 6, 2022)

SEC Obtains Final Judgment in Insider Trading Case Against Doron Tavlin  

On July 25, 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a final judgment against Doron A. Tavlin, a former Mazor Robotics Ltd. executive whom the SEC previously charged with insider trading in advance of the September 20, 2018 announcement that Medtronic PLC would acquire Mazor.

The complaint alleges that while working as a Mazor executive, Tavlin was involved in discussions regarding Medtronic’s potential acquisition of Mazor.  In August 2018, he tipped material nonpublic information about the potential acquisition to his close friend, Afshin Farahan, who then tipped his friend, David Gantman.  According to the complaint, Farahan and Gantman both made multiple purchases of Mazor securities and realized approximately $500,000 in combined trading profits.  Farahan later gave Tavlin a $25,000 kickback in exchange for the Mazor information, as alleged in the complaint.

Tavlin consented to a final judgment permanently enjoining him from violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and imposing an officer and director bar.  He was ordered to pay disgorgement of $25,000, representing his net profits gained as a result of the conduct alleged in the complaint, together with prejudgment interest in the amount of $7,875.47.

The case originated from the SEC’s Market Abuse Unit’s Analysis and Detection Center, which uses data analysis tools to detect suspicious trading patterns.

The SEC’s litigation is being led by Stephen Kam and supervised by Douglas Miller of the Los Angeles Regional Office.  The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Sara Kalin of the Market Abuse Unit, and supervised by Assistant Director Diana Tani and Market Abuse Unit Chief Joseph Sansone.  The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).