Morgan Stanley broker sentenced for Grand Central insider-trading scheme

For many people, the clock that sits atop the information booth in the middle of Grand Central Terminal can serve as a vivid memory of a visit to New York City. Ex-Morgan Stanley and Oppenheimer & Co. broker-dealer Vladimir Eydelman might never want to see it again. Mr. Eydelman, 44, of Colts Neck, New Jersey, became the last of three men to be sentenced in a $5.6 million insider-trading scheme centered around the iconic clock when he received three years in federal prison Friday after admitting to taking part in the plot, according to a statement from the Justice Department. Prosecutors said Mr. Eydelman received tips on tender offers and mergers and acquisitions while standing at the clock from a client, Frank Tamayo, who also pleaded guilty. Mr. Tamayo would write relevant ticker symbols on paper or napkins, pass them to Mr. Eydelman and then eat the evidence. Mr. Tamayo, who was sentenced to a year in prison on Sept. 21, got the tips from Steven Metro, a law school friend who worked as the managing clerk at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Mr. Metro also pleaded guilty and got the longest punishment when he was sentenced to almost four years on Sept. 14. Mr. Eydelman was also fined $15,000 and ordered to forfeit more than $1.2 million. The case is U.S. v. Vladimir Eydelman, 3:15-cr-00464, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (Trenton.) (More: Man who ate tips pleads guilty to Grand Central insider scheme)