LOVER'S LEAK LEADS TO $81K INSIDER TRADING WINDFALL!

SEC v. Bryan Scott McMillan — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Litigation Release No. 26454, dated December 23, 2025.

The SEC charged Bryan Scott McMillan with insider trading for illegally profiting from non-public information about Apollo Endosurgery's acquisition. McMillan purchased shares based on this tip and sold other securities. He ultimately consented to a final judgment, agreeing to pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and a civil penalty, and was barred from serving as an officer or director for two years.

In Plain English

Imagine someone learns a secret about a company, like it's going to be bought by another company. Before everyone else knows, this person buys a lot of that company's stock. When the news comes out, the stock price goes up, and they sell their shares for a profit. This is called insider trading. In this case, Bryan Scott McMillan was accused of doing just that. He agreed to pay back the money he made, plus extra, and can't be a company leader for a while.

Disclaimer: all facts are drawn from the SEC's own filings; the claims described are allegations unless and until a court rules or the parties settle, and some cases end in dismissal.

How the Alleged Scheme Worked

  1. Obtain Material Nonpublic Information On November 28, 2022, Bryan Scott McMillan received material nonpublic information from his domestic partner, who worked at Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. This information concerned an impending acquisition of Apollo by another company.
  2. Execute Trades Based on Information Within minutes of learning about the planned acquisition, McMillan engaged in suspicious trading activity. He sold securities of three other companies and simultaneously purchased 20,000 shares of Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. common stock.
  3. Await Public Announcement McMillan held onto the Apollo Endosurgery shares overnight. The next morning, Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. publicly announced that it was being acquired by another company, as McMillan had learned from his domestic partner.
  4. Profit from Information Following the public announcement of the acquisition, Apollo Endosurgery's share price increased significantly. McMillan was able to sell his newly acquired shares at a profit, realizing ill-gotten gains.

The Enforcement Action

SEC Obtains Final Judgment as to Texas Resident Charged with Insider Trading. On December 22, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered a final consent judgment as to defendant Bryan Scott McMillan. The SEC’s complaint, filed on September 26, 2024, alleged that on November 28, 2022, McMillan committed insider trading when he purchased shares of Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. common stock on the basis of material nonpublic information obtained from his domestic partner, who worked at Apollo at the time. Specifically, the complaint alleged that McMillan learned that Apollo would be acquired by another company and, within minutes of learning about the planned acquisition, he sold the securities of three other companies and purchased 20,000 shares of Apollo stock right before the stock market closed. The next morning, Apollo announced that it was being acquired, which caused its share price to increase. According to the SEC’s complaint, McMillan obtained ill-gotten profits of $81,400. Without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC’s complaint, McMillan consented to the entry of the final judgment that permanently enjoins him from violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder; orders him to pay disgorgement of $81,400, prejudgment interest of $18,260.76, and a civil penalty of $122,100; and bars him from serving as an officer or director of a public company for two years.

Named in this action: Bryan Scott McMillan.