本来是稳赚不赔的好买卖。

    据周二公布的一份联邦刑事起诉书显示，在10月25日（周四），苹果公司（Apple）公布其第四季度财报当天，戴维·米勒佯装写错了客户订单的小数点，自以为可大赚一笔。

    客户要求米勒按每股620美元的开盘价，买进1,625股苹果公司股票，总价值约100万美元。而米勒却买进了162.5万股，价值10亿美元，并且据称他曾向罗奇代尔证券公司（Rochdale Securities）保证，这位客户有足够的经济实力，将承担所有风险。

    起诉书显示，米勒的计划是，苹果公司的表现将超出华尔街的预期，股票必将暴涨.这样一来，这笔被他放大一千倍的交易获得的收益扣除客户利润后的差额就可以可落入他自己的腰包。

    不幸的是，当天苹果公司的表现让华尔街非常失望，并没有达到分析师的收入预期，而且还令人吃惊地给出了保守的利润预期。结果，苹果公司股票不仅没有暴涨，反而大幅下跌。次日收盘价为601.25美元，比周四开盘价下跌了18.78美元（3%）。

    按票面价值计算，160万股苹果股票的价值比米勒买进时缩水了3,000万美元。

    据美国康涅狄格州检察官透露，米勒还安排了另外一家经纪公司做空500，000股苹果股票，以对冲自己豪赌的风险，该公司确实能从这笔笔交易中获利。

    然而，这并不足以拯救米勒或罗奇代尔证券公司。如今，罗奇代尔持有的仓位已经超出了公司的现金储备。罗奇代尔公司位于康涅狄格州斯坦福德，已有47年历史，最近最出名的行为就是聘用了颇受电视台青睐的银行分析师迪克·波夫。自事件曝光以来，这家公司一直期待着能有救星将其收购。

    FBI探员金伯利·梅尔茨在昨天的声明中表示：“与其他同类案件相似，米勒被指控的犯罪行为是以损害他人利益为自己谋利。通过这种方式操纵和策划股票交易是非常严重的刑事犯罪，它所造成的影响极具恶劣，而且会持续很长时间。”

    米勒被指控涉嫌电信诈骗，最高可判20年监禁。他在缴纳300,000美元保释金后被警方释放。

    与此同时，我们不得不怀疑这类案件发生的频率。如果罗奇代尔能够填补亏损，这件事是否还会被曝光？

    本案是又一起“美国诉米勒” 案，编号3：12-mj-288，将由康涅狄格地方法院（布里奇波特）审理。

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    It must have seemed like a sure thing.

    According to a federal criminal complaint filed Tuesday, David Miller thought he'd make a quick killing in Apple (AAPL) on Thursday, Oct. 25 -- the day the company reported its fourth quarter earnings -- by pretending to misplace a decimal point on a client's order.

    The client had asked Miller to buy 1,625 shares of Apple -- worth about $1 million at the opening price of $620 a share. Instead, Miller bought 1.625 million Apple shares -- a billion dollars worth -- allegedly assuring his firm, Rochdale Securities, that the client was good for the money and would assume the risk.

    Miller's plan, according to the complaint, was that Apple would beat the Street's estimates, the stock would soar, and he would pocket the difference between his client's profits and the gains from the 1,000-fold larger trade.

    Unfortunately for Miller, Apple disappointed Wall Street that day, falling short of analysts' earnings expectations and offering surprisingly conservative margin guidance. Instead of soaring, the stock fell. It closed the next day at $601.25, down $18.75 (3%) from Thursday's opening price.

    On paper, those 1.6 million Apple shares were worth about $30 million less than what Miller paid for them.

    According to the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, Miller had hedged his bet somewhat by arranging for another brokerage house to short 500,000 shares of Apple -- a trade that firm was able to close at a profit.

    But it was not enough to save Miller or Rochdale Securities, which was left holding a bag bigger than its cash cushion. The 47-year-old Stamford, CT-based firm best known these days for employing Dick Bove, a TV-friendly bank analyst, has been searching ever since for a white knight to buy it out.

    "As is so often seen in these types of cases, the alleged criminal conduct of Miller was for personal gain at the expense and detriment of others," FBI agent Kimberly Mertz said yesterday in a statement. "Manipulating and orchestrating stock transactions in such a manner is a very serious criminal offense and its impact can be both devastating and lasting."

    Miller was charged with wire fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. He was released after posting a $300,000 bond.

    Meanwhile you have to wonder how often this kind of thing happens, and whether it would have come to light if Rochdale had been able to cover the losses.

    The case is U.S. v. Miller, 3:12-mj-288, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut (Bridgeport).