NEW YORK, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and

Exchange Commission on Monday charged Kenneth Leech, the former

co-chief investment officer of Western Asset Management Co

("Wamco"), with running a fraudulent "cherry-picking" scheme.

In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the SEC

said that between Jan. 2021 and Oct. 2023, Leech

disproportionately allocated better performing trades favored

portfolios, and worse performing trades to other portfolios.

Wamco is part of Franklin Resources ( BEN ).

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York)