Divorces are never pretty, but here is another cautionary tale to keep in mind as you unwind from your soon-to-be ex-spouse: sometimes your husband or wife will copy the hard drive of the family’s shared computer during the divorce proceedings, and send incriminating emails to the SEC. As an added incentive, a wife who recently did just that may now be entitled to a $1 million bounty for helping the SEC bring a case against Arthur Samberg and Pequot Capital Management Inc.

Bloomberg reports that Karen Kaiser, the ex-wife of David Zilkha , provided “direct evidence” (taken from the family's computer) of market-moving information passed by Zilkha to Samberg. This may result in her receiving a whistleblower award of up to 10 percent of the $10 million fine Samberg and Pequot agreed to pay to settle the case.

“The bounty is by no means the reason why we brought forth the evidence to the SEC, but it is something that we certainly are going to be pursuing,” said Mark Sherman, Kaiser's lawyer.

As discussed here, since the inception of the SEC insider trading bounty program in 1989, the SEC has paid a total of just $159,537 to five claimants.