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The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the filing of insider trading charges against a former engineer at Skyworks Solutions, Inc., a Massachusetts-based company with executive offices and a design center in Irvine, California that designs, manufactures and sells wireless analog semiconductors.

The SEC’s complaint alleges that Yuh-Yue Chen, while working as an engineer at Skyworks in Irvine, traded multiple times in advance of the company’s earnings announcements. The complaint further alleges that Chen improperly accessed the company’s accounting and finance area, reviewed non-public financial reports, and used that information to purchase Skyworks securities in advance of the company’s announcements of financial results for the second and third quarters in 2014. The SEC charges that after Skyworks announced positive quarterly financial results on April 22, 2014 and again on July 17, 2014, Chen sold Skyworks securities for a total profit of at least $739,959. The complaint further alleges that in September 2014, Chen fled the country after Skyworks’ security found him loitering in the office restricted area designated for the accounting and finance staff. He recently returned to the United States for a visit at the end of March, when he was interviewed and subsequently served with the SEC’s complaint prior to his planned departure.

The SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, charges Chen with violations of the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and seeks a permanent injunction, disgorgement plus interest and penalties.

The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Janet Rich Weissman and supervised by Ansu Banerjee in the Los Angeles Regional Office. The SEC’s litigation will be conducted by Amy Jane Longo.