Staff Faces Crypto-Linked Trading Fraud Charges at Robinhood

Robinhood Markets saw two of its employees charged with fraud by US prosecutors on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. Authorities accuse the staffers of using nonpublic information to trade crypto-linked perpetual futures on Hyperliquid, a decentralized derivatives exchange.

According to Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald, the two engineers allegedly accessed confidential data about whether and when Robinhood would support new cryptocurrencies. The defendants allegedly made more than $50,000 each from trades placed between 2025 and 2026.

A Robinhood spokesperson stated that the firm takes market integrity seriously and maintains zero tolerance for insider trading. The company noted that it has robust policies for new crypto listings, promptly investigated and reported the situation to regulators and law enforcement, and will continue cooperating with authorities.

The workers were scheduled to appear in court in California and New York on Tuesday. A defense attorney representing one employee stated that his client denies the charges and plans to defend himself vigorously in court.