Chapter 32B, Chapter 32B

(a) "Commissioner" means the Auditor of the State of West Virginia. (b) "Board of trade" means any person or group of persons engaged in buying or selling any commodity or receiving the same for sale on consignment, whether such person or group of persons is characterized as a bo…

Except as otherwise provided in section three or four of this article, a person shall not sell or purchase or offer to sell or purchase any commodity under any commodity contract or commodity option, nor shall a person offer to enter into or enter into a contract as a seller or p…

(a) The prohibitions in section two of this article do not apply to any transaction offered by and in which one of the following persons, or any employee, officer or director thereof acting solely in that capacity, is the purchaser or seller: (1) A person registered with the comm…

(a) The prohibitions in section two of this article do not apply to the following: (1) An account, agreement or transaction within the exclusive jurisdiction of the commodity futures trading commission as granted under the Commodity Exchange Act; (2) A commodity contract for the …

(a) A person may not engage in a trade or business or otherwise act as a commodity merchant unless the person: (1) Is registered or temporarily licensed with the commodity futures trading commission for each activity in which the person is acting as a commodity merchant and the r…

(a) A person may not directly or indirectly: (1) Cheat or defraud, or attempt to cheat or defraud any other person or employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud any other person; (2) Make any false report, enter any false record, or make any untrue statement of a material f…

(a) The act, omission or failure of any official, agent or other person acting for any individual, association, partnership, corporation or trust within the scope of his or her employment or office is considered the act, omission or failure of the individual, association, partner…

Nothing in this chapter impairs, derogates or otherwise affects the authority or powers of the commissioner under the West Virginia Uniform Securities Act, or the application of any provision of chapter thirty-two of this code to any person or transaction subject to its provision…

This chapter may be construed and implemented to effectuate its general purpose to protect investors, to prevent and prosecute illegal and fraudulent schemes involving commodity contracts and to maximize coordination with federal and other states' laws and the administration and …

(a) The commissioner may make investigations, within or without this state, as it finds necessary or appropriate to: (1) Determine whether any person has violated, or is about to violate, any provision of this chapter or any rule or order of the commissioner; or (2) Aid in enforc…

(a) The commissioner may commence an administrative proceeding under this chapter by entering a notice of intent to do a contemplated act or a summary order. The notice of intent or summary order may be entered without notice, without opportunity for hearing, and need not be supp…

(a) Any person aggrieved by a final order of the commissioner may obtain a review of the order in the circuit court of Kanawha County by filing, within sixty days after the entry of the order, a written petition requesting that the order be modified or set aside, in whole or in p…

It is not necessary to negate any of the exemptions of this chapter in any complaint, information or indictment, or in any writ or proceeding brought under this chapter, and the burden of proof of any such exemption is upon the party claiming the exemption.

(a) It is a defense in any complaint, information, indictment, writ or proceeding brought under this chapter alleging a violation of the provisions of section two, article one of this chapter, based solely on the failure in an individual case to make physical delivery within the …

(a) If the commissioner believes, whether or not based upon an investigation conducted under the provisions of section one of this article, that any person has engaged or is about to engage in any act or practice constituting a violation of any provision of this chapter or any ru…

(a) (1) Upon a proper showing by the commissioner that a person has violated, or is about to violate, any provision of this chapter or any rule or order of the commissioner, the circuit court may grant appropriate legal or equitable remedies. (2) Upon showing of violation of this…

(a) Any person who willfully violates: (1) Any provision of this chapter; or (2) Any rule or order of the commissioner under this chapter shall, upon conviction of each violation, be fined not more than $20,000 or imprisoned at a state correctional facility not more than ten year…

(a) This chapter shall be administered by the commissioner of this state. (b) Neither the commissioner nor any employees of the commissioner may use any information that is filed with or obtained by the commissioner that is not public information for personal gain or benefit, nor…

(a) To encourage uniform application and interpretation of this chapter and of securities regulation and enforcement in general, the commissioner and the employees of the commissioner may cooperate, and bear the expense of such cooperation, with the securities agencies or commiss…

(a) In addition to specific authority granted elsewhere in this chapter, the commissioner may make, amend and rescind rules, forms and orders as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this chapter. The rules or forms include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Rule…

When a person, including a nonresident of this state, engages in conduct prohibited or made actionable by this chapter or any rule or order of the commissioner, such conduct shall cause the appointment of the commissioner as the person's attorney to receive service of any lawful …

(a) Sections two, five and six, article one of this chapter shall apply to persons who sell or offer to sell when: (1) An offer to sell is made in this state; or (2) An offer to buy is made and accepted in this state. (b) Sections two, five and six, article one of this chapter ap…

(a) "Commodity broker-dealer" means any person engaged in the business of effecting transactions in commodity contracts or commodity options, as defined in article one of this chapter, for the account of others or for the person's own account. (b) "Commodity sales representative"…

If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, then the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To this end, the …

(a) Prior law exclusively governs all suits, actions, prosecutions or proceedings that are pending or may be initiated on the basis of facts or circumstances occurring before the effective date of this chapter, except that no civil suit or action may be maintained to enforce any …