NEW YORK (AFP) ― New York prosecutors sued British bank Barclays for fraud Wednesday, saying it ran a “dark pool” securities trading operation to the benefit of “predatory” high-frequency traders.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Barclays promised clients that it would protect them from aggressive high-speed trading firms in the dark pools but at the same time took steps that benefited these firms.

“The facts alleged in our complaint show that Barclays demonstrated a disturbing disregard for its investors in a systematic pattern of fraud and deceit,” said Schneiderman.

“Barclays grew its dark pool by telling investors they were diving into safe waters. According to the lawsuit, Barclays’ dark pool was full of predators ― there at Barclays’ invitation.”

A Barclays spokesman said the British banking giant was cooperating with Schneiderman, the top prosecutor for New York state.

“We take these allegations very seriously,” he added. “Barclays has been cooperating with the New York attorney general and the SEC and has been examining this matter internally.”

The spokesman stressed that “the integrity of the markets is a top priority of Barclays.”

The suit comes amid criticism that high-frequency traders skim profits from clients who order a stock at one price, only to end up paying more than the quoted amount after the high-frequency firm pushes up the price through a series of lightening-quick transactions.

Such aggressive maneuvers are often characterized as predator” behavior.