US: Ex Microsoft official jailed

A FORMER senior Microsoft manager who pleaded guilty to feeding inside information to a stock trader was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison for insider trading. The US attorney’s office says the two men made $415 000 from three trades. Brian Jorgenson was a senior manager in Microsoft’s Treasury Group when he provided the information to his friend Sean Stokke, according to documents filed in US District Court. They were accused of trading on three corporate developments: two quarterly earnings reports and Microsoft’s 2012 investment in Barnes & Noble. “I cheated,” Jorgenson said. “I tried to take a shortcut for my own financial gain.” – Sapa-AP