The US Securities and Exchange Commission and US prosecutors have filed civil and criminal complaints against three principals at Marshall Tucker & Associates for insider trading. The charges are in connection with Eurex’s $2.8bn (€1.8bn) acquisition of options platform International Securities Exchange in April last year.

The complaint, filed with the US District Court in the Southern District Court of New York, alleges that John Marshall, a senior principal and founding director with Marshall Tucker & Associates used his position as vice-chairman of International Securities Exchange’s board, as audit and finance committee chairman, and executive committee member to feed detailed information on the confidential merger talks to Marshall Tucker principals Alan Tucker and Mark Larson.