http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-53315320101202 EXCLUSIVE - Email of analyst visited by FBI went to big players * * LinkedInShare on LinkedIn * Facebook Share on Facebook * 0diggsdigg Related News * Exclusive: Email of analyst visited by FBI went to big players Dec 2, 2010 * U.S. hedge funds and mutual funds get subpoenas Nov 24, 2010 * Hedge funds and mutual funds get subpoenas Nov 24, 2010 * U.S. Hedge funds, mutual funds get subpoenas Nov 23, 2010 * Fund firms asked for documents by U.S. authorities Nov 23, 2010 * Wellington Mmgt asked for documents by U.S.-report Nov 23, 2010 Related Topics * Business » TRACKING MARKETS Charts & Quotes Charts & Quotes Track and analyse stocks to make smart decisions. Full Coverage * Track BSE Sensex * Community Portfolio * Set Stock Alerts * All International Indices A street sign is seen on Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange York January 18, 2008. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Files A street sign is seen on Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange York January 18, 2008. Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid/Files By Matthew Goldstein and Svea Herbst-Bayliss NEW YORK/BOSTON | Fri Dec 3, 2010 3:11am IST NEW YORK/BOSTON (Reuters) - Money manager Ameriprise Financial would seem to have little in common with closely held investment advisory firms like Friess Associates and Sonar Capital Management or a giant hedge fund like Citadel Group. Yet a Portland, Oregon-based technology analyst under scrutiny in a U.S. insider trading probe included employees of all three firms in an unusual email he sent in late October, according to information reviewed by Reuters. The research analyst, John Kinnucan, told an eclectic list of industry contacts that two agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation had recently visited him in connection with the investigation. In the email, sent to more than 50 people associated with some 20 hedge funds and mutual funds, Kinnucan said he had rebuffed a demand by the FBI that he cooperate with the inquiry and secretly record conversations with a client, said people familiar with the situation. The names of many of the recipients of the email were disclosed to Reuters by a source who had a copy of the email. They were confirmed by another person who also has seen a copy of the email. The email, first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 19, has elevated Kinnucan, the principal of Broadband Research, a small independent research firm, into something of a minor celebrity in financial circles and suggests that federal authorities believe the misuse of confidential information is widespread on Wall Street. Over the past two weeks, Kinnucan, who did not return phone calls, has appeared on television channel CNBC and penned an essay for The New York Times' Dealbook blog to explain why he refused to "wear a wire." In his Dealbook op-ed piece, Kinnucan accused federal authorities of seeking to "criminalize what has been common practice for years." JUDGMENT AT ISSUE Kinnucan's email, which included the names of industry contacts and their company email addresses, has unnerved many on Wall Street. There is a fear that by simply being a recipient on the email, federal authorities may take notice and come visit these contacts too. Employees of Ameriprise, Delaware-based Friess Associates and Boston-based Sonar Capital and MFS Investment Management, were some of the recipients of the Kinnucan email. Some of the better-known hedge funds -- Coatue Management, Citadel, SAC Capital Advisors and Maverick Capital -- also employ analysts and traders who received the email. Officials for a few of the funds said that Kinnucan, in disclosing the identity of his clients, may have violated an expectation of privacy that traders and analysts had when they signed up with him. One person, who did not want to be identified, said Kinnucan may not have "exercised the best judgment" in identifying his contacts on the email. An spokesman for Minneapolis-based Ameriprise, which sells insurance but has been expanding its advisory and wealth management business, did not return a phone call seeking comment. One of the Ameriprise portfolio managers who received the email said, "I'm sorry, I can't comment." An official with Friess Associates also declined to comment. The founder of Sonar Capital did not return phone calls. A lawyer for Coatue also did not return phone calls.