New York General Business Law Section 351 - Acts prohibited; penalty for violation.

351. Acts prohibited; penalty for violation. Any person, copartnership, firm, association or corporation, whether acting in his, their or its own right or as the officer, agent, servant, correspondent or representative of another, who shall: 1. Make or offer to make, or assist in making or offering to make any contract respecting the purchase or sale, either upon credit or margin, of any securities or commodities, including all evidences of debt or property and options for the purchase thereof, shares in any corporation or association, bonds, coupons, scrip, rights, choses in action and other evidences of debt or property and options for the purchase thereof or anything movable that is bought and sold, intending that such contract shall be terminated, closed or settled according to, or upon the basis of the public market quotations of or prices made on any board of trade or exchange or market upon which such commodities or securities are dealt in, and without intending a bona fide purchase or sale of the same; or,

2. Makes or offers to make or assists in making or offering to make any contract respecting the purchase or sale, either upon credit or margin, of any such securities or commodities intending that such contract shall be deemed terminated, closed and settled when such market quotations of or such prices for such securities or commodities named in such contract shall reach a certain figure, without intending a bona fide purchase or sale of the same; or,

3. Makes or offers to make, or assists in making or offering to make any contract respecting the purchase or sale, either upon credit or margin of any such securities or commodities, not intending the actual bona fide receipt or delivery of any such securities or commodities, but intending a settlement of such contract based upon the difference in such public market quotations of or such prices at which said securities or commodities are, or are asserted to be, bought or sold; or,

4. Shall, as owner, keeper, proprietor or person in charge of, or as officer, director, stockholder, agent, servant, correspondent or representative of such owner, keeper, proprietor or person in charge of, or as officer, director, stockholder, agent, servant, correspondent, or representative of such owner, keeper, proprietor or person in charge, or of any other person, keep, conduct or operate any bucket shop, as hereinafter defined; or knowingly permit or allow or induce any person, copartnership, firm, association or corporation whether acting in his, their or its own right, or as the officer, agent, servant, correspondent or representative of another to make or offer to make therein, or to assist in making therein, or in offering to make therein, any of the contracts specified in any of the three preceding subdivisions of this section.

Shall be guilty of a felony. The prosecution, conviction and punishment of a corporation hereunder shall not be deemed to be a prosecution, conviction or punishment of any of its officers, directors or stockholders.


Last modified: February 3, 2019