LeeAnn Ghazil Gaunt has been appointed chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit, the SEC announced on Friday.
Since it was formed in 2010, Gaunt has worked in the enforcement unit. She supervised the SEC’s first pay-to-play action for “in-kind” political campaign contributions in September 2012 when the agency charged Goldman Sachs and an executive vice president for violations related to political contributions in Massachusetts.
Gaunt has worked in the SEC’s Boston Regional Office for 13 years and has experience in handling matters ranging from investment adviser violations to insider trading.
“In her 13 years with the SEC, LeeAnn has demonstrated tremendous judgment and leadership as a valued member of our enforcement team,” Andrew J. Ceresney, co-director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said in a press release. “We are delighted that she has agreed to lead the Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit, which has amassed a strong record of enforcement actions and is an important focus for the division.”
Another municipal securities case Gaunt oversaw was the one against Southwest Securities, which agreed to pay more than $450,000 to settle agency charges concerning political contributions.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as chief of the Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit. I look forward to working with the dedicated and talented professionals in the unit and advancing the SEC’s investor protection efforts in this very important area of the nation’s financial markets.”
Before joining the SEC, Gaunt worked in the private sector in Boston, first at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and later at Goodwin Procter.
