A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to charges of securities fraud after using sensitive, nonpublic information received from a Dick’s Sporting Goods employee to make 160 trades on the New York Stock Exchange.

Frank T. Poerio Jr., 62, of Gibsonia, pleaded guilty to four counts before U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Poerio used the information he obtained to purchase individual shares and call option contracts. These purchases occurred between August 2019 and May 2021, when the insider worked in a data analytics role at the company’s corporate offices in Moon Township.

The trades netted approximately $823,000 in profits for Poerio, who often spoke with the employee about finances and investing. Several of the trading incidents occurred in the days immediately preceding Dick’s release of periodic earnings statements — so called “blackout” periods, when Dick’s employees were prohibited from trading in the company’s securities.

“Frank Poerio admitted to gaming the system by using material nonpublic information from a

company employee to conduct well more than a hundred trades over the course of several years that resulted in nearly a million dollars in profit,” said U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan.

“Insider trading erodes the foundation of our economy and undermines public trust in our

institutions. This is not simply a casual, petty crime,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek.

Horan scheduled sentencing for Oct. 31. For each count, Poerio faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a $5 million fine, or both.