Tom Hardin
"It is one of the biggest mysteries on Wall Street: Who is Tipper X, the secret witness at the center of the biggest insider-trading case in a generation?" -- New York Times, January 12, 2010
At age 28, Tom Hardin was a junior partner at an up-and-coming long-short equity hedge fund. He was on track to achieve his dream career, but before long, felt like he was falling behind in an increasingly competitive industry. Then, a moment arose when he made a decision to cross a very important line and the rest is history. Tom was later charged with felony securities fraud and, known as "Tipper X," became the FBI’s most productive cooperating witness in Operation Perfect Hedge, a sting setup by the federal government in 2007-2008 targeting the hedge fund industry. The sting branched out into the largest insider trading investigation in 25 years, leading to over 80 guilty pleas or convictions. Tom was sentenced in 2015 and will forever be branded with the scarlet letter "F" for felon. He tells his cautionary tale to audiences by going through his life leading up to his crimes, how he rationalized his illegal decisions, his double life as an FBI informant, the life consequences of a felony conviction and the inherent power of moments like these to be reborn. Tom also delivers guest lectures at top business and law schools on corporate ethics and white collar criminal law and procedure. Tom holds a B.S. in Economics with a Finance concentration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
