Los Angeles - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged comedy purveyor National Lampoon, its CEO and other parties with "engaging in three separate fraudulent schemes to manipulate the market for publicly traded securities through the payment of prearranged kickbacks."

Specifically, the SEC charged that chief executive Daniel Laikin and others "paid kickbacks in exchange for generating or causing purchases of the company's common stock to a stock promoter and others to give the false impression of a steady demand for the stock."

Other charges include sharing confidential financial information regarding the company, including non-public news releases and shareholder lists.

The SEC is seeking "permanent injunctions against all defendants, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, together with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties, from the individual defendants, and an officer and director bar against Mr. Laikin."

Trading in National Lampoon's stock has been suspended through Dec. 29.

Related Links:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20081216006390/en

http://sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2008/lr20828.htm

http://www.nationallampoon.com