Edward A Cox, III, petitions for review of a final order of the Commodity Futures Tradmg Commission (“Commission”) entered m January 1997, wMch revokes Ms floor broker registration and bars him permanently from trading m any market regulated by the Commission. Becáuse tMs admimstrative sanction followed a criminal sentence for the same conduct, Cox claims the Commission’s order violates the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Cox also claims the Commission abused its discretion by failing to give appropriate weight to evidence of Cox’s rehabilitation.
Followmg the recent Supreme Court decision in
Hudson v. United States,
— U.S. -,
I. History
In January 1991, Edward A Cox was convicted on forty-six felony counts, consisting of twenty-seven counts of violating the anti-fraud provisions of § 4b of the Commodity Exchange Act (“the Act”), 1 7 U.S.C. § 6b, thirteen counts of mail fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Cox was also convicted of ten misdemeanor counts of entering into prearranged accommodation trades in violation of § 4c(a)(A) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. § 6c(a)(A). In May 1991, the Urnted States District Court for the Northern District of Ilhnois sentenced Cox to thirty months imprisonment and three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay over $15,000 in restitution.
While serving Ms sentence, Cox volunteered for the Intensive Confinement Program, a prisoners’ “boot camp” of sorts. By successfully completing tMs program, Cox earned a six month reduction in his prison term. Following Ms release from prison, Cox spent eight to Mne months m the Com-immity Correctional Center, a CMcago halfway house. He also returned to the Chicago Board of Trade (“CBOT”) and traded under the floor privileges of his floor broker license. Cox asserts that since Ms return to trading
In June 1991, the Commission filed a mul-ti-count administrative complaint against Cox based upon the conduct underlying the criminal convictions. The Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) granted summary disposition as to Cox’s liability and ordered the parties to brief the issue of sanctions. In December 1992, without a hearing, the ALJ issued an initial decision imposing a cease and desist order, revoking Cox’s registration and banning Cox from trading on all markets regulated by the Commission for ten years.
See In re Cox,
[1992-1994' Transfer Binder]
On appeal, the Commission held that the ALJ had abused its discretion by failing to provide for a hearing on the sanctions issue, and therefore the Commission remanded the case to the ALJ.
See In re Cox,
[1992-1994 Transfer Binder]
In May 1995, the ALJ issued a second order. The ALJ found that Cox was rehabilitated and posed no threat to the markets, basing his conclusion on Cox’s participation in the Intensive Confinement Program, the testimony of character witnesses, the passage of time since his misconduct, the fact that Cox had been trading for two years without incident, and that the CBOT passed a resolution stating it found Cox was rehabilitated.
See In re Cox,
[1994-1996 Transfer Binder]
In January 1997, the Commission issued its final order. The Commission gave little weight to Cox’s evidence of rehabilitation and found that Cox had failed to show by clear and convincing evidence that his continued registration would pose no substantial risk to the markets.
See In re Cox,
[Current Transfer Binder]
II. Analysis
We will disturb the Commission’s factual determinations only, if they are not supported by the wéight of the evidence.
See Monieson v. CFTC,
A Double Jeopardy Analysis
Our inquiry in this matter is controlled by the Supreme Court decision in
Hudson v. United States,
— U.S.-,
In
LaCrosse
we determined that the Commission’s imposition of a trading ban, pursuant to § 9(b) of the Act, after a criminal conviction for the same conduct did not implicate double jeopardy concerns.
See LaCrosse,
However, in LaCrosse we did not have occasion to address the double jeopardy implications of registration revocation under §§ 8a(2)(D) and (E) of the Act, 7 U.S.C. §§ 12a(2)(D) and (E). Therefore we must analyze this sanction under the Hudson framework to determine whether it is sufficiently “criminal” to trigger Cox’s double jeopardy protections.
The first step in our analysis is to determine whether the legislature “ ‘in establishing the penalizing mechanism, indicated either expressly or impliedly a preference for one label or the other.’ ”
Hudson,
at-,
Turning to the second stage of analysis, we must determine whether, notwithstanding this legislative preference, the sanction operates in such a way as to transform it into a criminal penalty. Our inquiry is structured according to the factors enumerated in
Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez,
The first factor asks whether the sanction acts as an affirmative disability or restraint. The
Hudson
court understood this factor to mean that the sanction in question smacks of
The second
Kennedy
factor asks whether the sanction has been historically viewed as punishment. In
Hudson,
the Supreme Court recognized that “‘revocation of a privilege voluntarily granted ... is characteristically free of the punitive criminal element.’ ”
Id.
(quoting
Helvering,
The third Kennedy factor asks “whether the sanction comes into play only on a finding of scienter.” Sections 8a(2)(D) and (E) authorize the Commission to refuse to register, register conditionally, or revoke the registration of any person who has been convicted of certain crimes or who has been found to have violated certain enumerated statutes. Several of the relevant crimes and statutes listed in §§ 8a(2)(D) and (E) do not require scien-ter. See, e.g., 7 U.S.C. § 12a(2)(D) (With hearing, Commission may revoke registration of person convicted of a “felony ... concerning a security.”); 7 U.S.C. § 12a(2)(E) (With hearing, Commission may revoke registration of person found to have violated any provision of the Securities Act of 1933.). The sanction thus does not come into play only on a finding of scienter.
The fourth factor asks whether the operation of the sanction will promote the traditional aims of punishment, i.e. retribution and deterrence. '-While revoking a person’s registration -will likely deter the transgressor and others from,future illegal-conduct, “the mere presence of this purpose is insufficient to render a sanction criminal, as deterrence ‘may serve civil as well as • criminal goals.’ ”
Hudson,
at-,
We next examine whether the behavior to which the sanction applies is already a crime. Section 8a(2)(D) requires
conviction
of a felony, so clearly the relevant behavior is already criminal Section 8a(2)(E), while not requiring conviction, requires that the person be- found to have violated certain statutes, rules, regulations or orders under such statutes. Thus again the conduct to which the sanction applies is already prohibited. However, “[t]his fact is insufficient to render the ... sanctions criminally punitive ... particularly in the double jeopardy context,
see United States v. Dixon
We consider the final two
Kennedy
factors together: whether there is an alternative purpose for the sanction and whether the sanction appears excessive in relation to the alternative purpose assigned. We take “alternative purpose” to mean a purpose other than a punitive purpose; in this case the alternative purpose for the sanction is the actual intended purpose: to ensure integrity of the markets. Sections 8a(2)(D) and (E) create a presumption that the per
In sum, only one factor suggests the sanction at issue is a “criminal” one: the behavior to which the sanction applies is already prohibited. Based on our analysis of all of the factors, this does not constitute the requisite clear proof required to “override legislative intent and transform what has been denominated a civil remedy into a criminal penalty.”
Id.
at-,
B. Cox’s Claim that the Commission Abused its Discretion by Revoking His Registration and Imposing a Permanent Trading Ban
According to the Commission, Cox’s statutory disqualifications under §§ 8a(2)(D) and (E) of the Act give rise to a presumption that he is unfit to act as a Commission registrant.
See In re Horn,
[1990-1992 Transfer Binder]
The onus was upon Cox to show, either by clear , and convincing evidence (in the case of continued registration) or the less onerous standard of the weight of the evidence (in the case of the trading ban), that he posed no substantial risk to the markets. In his appeal, Cox focuses on his evidence of rehabilitation. Cox asserts that because his evidence of rehabilitation was overwhelming, he proved that he posed no risk to the markets. Cox claims that the Commission abused its discretion by not giving appropriate weight to the rehabilitation evidence and thus the Commission erred in revoking his registration and imposing a permanent trading ban. Specifically, Cox argues that the Commission did not give appropriate weight to his acceptance of responsibility, the testimony of his character witnesses, that he has been trading since 1992 without incident, his participation in the Intensive Confinement Program, and the CBOT Resolution. We address these claims in turn.
First, Cox asserts that the Commission did not give the appropriate weight to evidence of his acceptance of responsibility. Cox’s principal piece of evidence supporting the conclusion that he accepted responsibility for his actions is the fact that at sentencing he received a two-level decrease for acceptance of responsibility. The Commission noted this downward departure but found that,.“[i]n the circumstances presented, however, Cox’s acceptance of responsibility amounts to only limited first steps on the path of .rehabilitation.”
Cox II,
However, the Commission came close to crossing the line in presenting its final piece of evidence to support its conclusion that Cox’s acceptance of responsibility is not entitled to significant weight. The Commission mischaracterized Cox’s testimony before the ALJ by excising a relevant portion, stating, “Cox only grudgingly acknowledged under cross-examination that he had ‘probably ... harmed [his] customers.’ ”
Id.
at *9. Cox’s actual words were,. “[a]fter all I’ve been through, I would probably have to say that, yes, I harmed my customers.” Hr’g.Tr. at 283,
In re Cox,
[1994-1996 Transfer Binder]
Second, Cox argues that the Commission abused its discretion by not giving appropriate weight to -the testimony of his character witnesses. Cox called twenty-four traders and executives on his behalf. Some knew him personally for years, some only knew him as a trader, some knew him prior to his conviction while others had come to know him after the conviction. The Commission did not afford significant weight to the testimony of the witnesses because none of the witnesses was qualified as experts in rehabilitation.
See Cox II,
While we recognize the reasonableness of according an expert’s testimony more weight than a layman’s, we must confess some confusion on the question of who satisfies the Commission’s definition-of “expert.” Apparently a probation officer will suffice, and business and personal associates will not. But a respondent has very little guidance from the Commission other than these outside parameters. Would a psychologist suffice? Or a social worker? Because the Commission has not set forth the criteria for deeming a person an “expert in rehabilitation,” the answers to these questions remain elusive, As we stated in
LaCrosse,
The concept of a “rehabilitation expert” is novel. Predicting future crimes is a roll of the dice; there are no genuine “experts” about who is likely to commit which offenses tomorrow, or even what classes of persons pose genuine risk.... By failing to set forth the relevant and necessary characteristics for rehabilitation experts, the Commission gives itself free rein to discredit any manner of testimony.
For the opportunity to present witnesses on the issue of rehabilitation to be meaningful, the Commission must establish some guidelines regarding the kind of testimony it will accept.
Notwithstanding the Commission’s lack of instruction on this issue, we do not hold that the Commission abused its discretion in determining the weight to afford this testimo
Third, Cox asserts that the fact he has been trading without incident for several years should have been weighty evidence demonstrating rehabilitation. The Commission’s precedent makes clear that such evidence is instructive on the question of rehabilitation, but not dispositive.
See In re Bryant,
[1990-1992 Transfer Binder]
Fourth, Cox complains that the Commission failed to mention his successful completion of the Intensive Confinement Program in its analysis of the rehabilitation evidence. Cox argues that the Commission erred by not considering this evidence. Cox fails to recognize that the Commission did note his successful completion of the program, stating “Cox further claims that his successful completion of his intensive confinement program demonstrates further remorse for his wrongdoing.”
Cox II,
Finally, Cox argues that the Commission abused its discretion by downplaying the importance of the Resolution of the CBOT that Cox poses no threat to the integrity of the markets. We find that the Commission proffered several legitimate reasons for affording the CBOT Resolution minimal weight. First, the statements in the Resolution are so general that the Commission “questioned] their usefulness.”
Cox II,
We find Cox’s arguments based on the Double Jeopardy Clause and abuse of discretion to be unpersuasive. We therefore Enforce the order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Notes
. This opinion, in accordance with Commission custom, will use the original public law section numbers in citing the Commodity Exchange Act.
See LaCrosse v. CFTC,
The Act was amended in 1992 by the Futures Trading Practices Act of 1992. All conduct relevant to this appeal occurred prior to this amendment. Thus this opinion will refer to the Act as it existed prior to the 1992 amendments.
. These presumptions and their corresponding burdens are Commission interpretations of the relevant statutes. Since the parties have not challenged these interpretations, we apply these standards but do not vouch for their correctness.
