FOX Business Network (FBN) Senior Correspondent Charlie Gasparino reports that, “New Jersey governor Chris Christie personally invited hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen to his re-election victory party last week just hours after Cohen paid a $1.2 billion penalty and his fund, SAC Capital, pleaded guilty to criminal insider-trading charges.” Gasparino says that Cohen was among the roughly 2,400 people who attended the party, but that he was “one of the few who received a personal invitation from the governor to attend.”
On New Jersey governor Chris Christie personally inviting hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen to his re-election victory party:
“New Jersey governor Chris Christie personally invited hedge-fund billionaire Steve Cohen to his re-election victory party last week just hours after Cohen paid a $1.2 billion penalty and his fund, SAC Capital, pleaded guilty to criminal insider-trading charges, the FOX Business Network has learned. Cohen was among the roughly 2,400 people who attended Christie’s victory bash at the Asbury Park Convention Hall, as well as a private dinner Christie had with a handful of supporters, according to people close to Cohen with direct knowledge of the matter. Cohen was one of the few who received a personal invitation from the governor to attend, these people say. Further raising eyebrows is that the invitation came just hours after the Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara announced a plea deal with Cohen’s hedge fund that includes the largest fine in the history of insider-trading cases, a guilty plea and an agreement by SAC to end its business of managing money for outside clients.…A spokesman for SAC declined to comment. A spokesman for Christie’s re-election campaign said ‘Mr. Cohen was in attendance on Election Night along with nearly 2400 other attendees.’ He had no further comment.”
