Raj Rajaratnam - Guilty of Insider Naming
Raj Rajaratnam, head of the hedge fund Galleon Group was found guilty of conspiracy, securities fraud and having a first name that’s a subset of his last name.
“Maybe this will send a message to inside traders and to people who have these weird last names,” said Judge Harold Faustner from in chambers in Manhattan’s federal court.
“Not many people know there are still laws on the books about having this kind of name. Â It started out with lthe influx of Swedes back in the late 1800s. Â Sven Svenson, Eric Ericson…How do you know if those people are coming or going?
“His name isn’t in the same category as  Sirhan Sirhan or even Boutros Boutros Ghali.  But the law’s the law and we have to enforce it.”
Rajaratnam faces 20 years in prison.  His sentence may be reduced for good behavior or if he is willing to change his name to something more  “American.”
