Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, who has sent inside traders and terrorists to prison, told attendees at a hedge-fund conference that prosecutions foster confidence in the market.

“If you have open and aggressive and fair and proper and proven cases that you bring, and you show that in the kinds of cases that I’ve brought, that’s the kind of thing that over time gives people more confidence in the market,” Bharara said yesterday at the annual Delivering Alpha Conference.