The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that Andrew Left is well known on Wall Street as an outspoken investor skilled at making money by uncovering corporate frauds and betting against overvalued stocks. A New York Times dispatch to The Globe says, however, U.S. federal authorities claim that Mr. Left sometimes misled his followers about his intentions. Authorities filed criminal and civil fraud charges in July against Mr. Left, the founder of Citron Research, claiming he generated at least $16-million (U.S.) in illegal trading profits through stock manipulation. Prosecutors and regulators accused Mr. Left of using his fame to tell investors to do one thing while he traded the other way, failing to adhere to the price targets he published in reports on stocks. The charges arose from a years-long investigation into the activities of several activist short sellers. The authorities say Mr. Left never intended to trade in a way that was consistent with the recommendations in his reports. The Securities and Exchange Commission called it a "bait and switch" strategy. "Left bought back stock immediately after telling his readers to sell, and he sold stock immediately after telling his readers to buy," the SEC said.