David Peavler, Associate Director of Enforcement in Fort Worth Office, to Leave SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that David L. Peavler, Associate Director of Enforcement in the Fort Worth Regional Office, is leaving the agency this month after more than 15 years of service.

Mr. Peavler joined the SEC staff as a Staff Attorney and went on to serve as a Branch Chief and then an Assistant Director before being named Associate Director in November 2011.  Mr. Peavler has supervised a staff of more than 60 attorneys and other professionals responsible for investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws by a wide range of market participants.

Mr. Peavler received the SEC’s Irving Pollack Award last year in recognition of his “fairness and compassion in dealings with the public and staff, scholarship and professional expertise in execution of their legal duties, and adherence to the highest standards of personal and professional integrity.”  He received the agency’s Arthur F. Mathews Award in 2004 for “sustained demonstrated creativity in applying federal securities laws for the benefit of investors.” 

Stephanie Avakian, Acting Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, said, “David is an exceptional attorney and a dedicated public servant who has led and supervised an array of complex and high-impact actions.  He has demonstrated time and time again his commitment to protecting investors and our markets.”

Shamoil T. Shipchandler, Director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office, added, “David’s consistency, creativity, professionalism, and integrity are unparalleled, and he has led not only by word but by example.  His leadership of Fort Worth’s enforcement program will be emulated but never duplicated.”

Mr. Peavler said, “I’m fortunate to have served with so many skilled and dedicated people.  Their untiring commitment to investor protection has truly been inspirational, and I’m proud of our achievements.”

Among the enforcement actions taken by the SEC’s Fort Worth office under Mr. Peavler’s leadership:

• Seaboard Corporation, in which the SEC first set forth its corporate cooperation guidance.
• Royal Dutch Shell, which paid $120 million to settle fraud charges arising from its 4.5 billion barrel proved reserves misstatement.
• i2 Technologies and three of its former senior officers, who collectively paid more than $20 million to settle fraud charges relating to a billion dollar software revenue overstatement.
• The former CEO and CFO of Quest Resources Corporation, who were charged with misappropriating millions of dollars through undisclosed insider loans.
• Millennium Bank and its founder, who operated a $100 million international Ponzi scheme.
• Life Partners Holdings and its former senior officers, who a jury found liable for fraud in connection with disclosures and accounting for life settlements.  They were ordered to pay millions of dollars in penalties.
• KBR Inc. and SandRidge Energy, which each settled allegations arising from their use of improper non-disclosure agreements that inhibited employees from reporting fraud and misconduct to the SEC.

Mr. Peavler received his undergraduate degree in accounting and economics from Baylor University in 1989 and his law degree from the University of Texas in 1992.