- The FBI and SEC are pursuing a major insider trading probe involving investor Carl Icahn, golfer Phil Mickelson and Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters, according to multiple reports.
- Investigators reportedly are examining whether Icahn (NYSE:IEP) passed non-public tips on investments he was planning to make to Walters, and whether Walters then tipped Mickelson.
- The government investigation is said to have begun after Icahn accumulated a 9% stake in Clorox (NYSE:CLX) in Feb. 2011; Icahn made a $10.2B bid for CLX in July, and large, risky trades made in CLX options in the days before the bid sparked rumors that word had leaked.
- Authorities also are looking into trades Mickelson and Walters made related to Dean Foods (NYSE:DF).