Court enters consent order in CFTC case against Andrew Middlebrooks, EIA fund
A federal court in Michigan entered a consent order resolving CFTC claims against Andrew Middlebrooks and EIA All Weather Alpha Fund I Partners LLC over a commodity pool the agency says was run fraudulently.
A federal court in Michigan entered a consent order resolving Commodity Futures Trading Commission claims against Andrew Middlebrooks and EIA All Weather Alpha Fund I Partners LLC over a commodity pool the agency says operated fraudulently.
The order permanently bars Middlebrooks and his firm from trading for others, soliciting or accepting funds for trading, and registering with the CFTC. It also finds violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, according to the agency.
In a press release, the CFTC said the conduct ran from at least mid-2017 through April 2022 and involved a commodity pool called EIA All Weather Alpha Fund I LP. The agency said Middlebrooks and his firm solicited and retained investor funds by making false and misleading statements to existing and prospective participants.
Those claims included saying the pool was extraordinarily profitable despite significant trading losses, exaggerating assets under management, falsely stating that financial statements were audited by an outside firm, and issuing falsified monthly account statements and financial reports, the CFTC said. The agency said the defendants pooled millions of dollars from dozens of participants in the United States and abroad.
The CFTC said EIA All Weather Alpha Fund I Partners LLC is a Delaware company based in the Detroit area. The order resolves claims the agency brought in August 2022.
In the release, CFTC Enforcement Director David Miller said the agency will not tolerate fraudulent conduct in the markets it oversees and will vigorously pursue fraudsters to protect the American public.
The agency also noted that the Justice Department charged Middlebrooks in October 2022 with wire fraud based on the conduct described in the CFTC complaint. The CFTC said he later pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2025 to eight years and four months in prison and ordered to pay $34,346,948 in restitution.
The CFTC said the consent order was the final step described in its announcement, published May 1, 2026.
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