Securities Arbitration Lawyers Blog

Broker fined $15,000 and suspended for four months as a result of FINRA investigation After having damages granted against her in the amount of $135,000 by a customer questioning the suitability of her investments in December 2012, Texas financial advisor Betsy B. Marcom (previously known as Betsy Bratton Perryman) is…

Alleged misrepresentation of REITs and BDCs by Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and Gopi Vungarala to their client, a Native American Tribe, lead to exorbitant commissions to the detriment of the tribe Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments and their licensed broker Gopi Vungarala have been named respondents in an FINRA compliant that…

Just two months after being sanctioned by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex — one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges in the world — has now halted all its Bitcoin trading operations until further notice, claiming it has suffered a security breach.  According to…

Seasoned broker permanently barred from all securities activity after allegations of conversion and forgery The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) took action against Raymond James stockbroker Paul Steffany in October of 2015, after allegations surfaced that he illegally converted funds as executor of a client’s trust and forged signatures on…

Long history of misconduct ends seventeen-year career Gregory Flemming, Jr. has a troubled past when it comes to his career in the securities industry. In addition to allegations of failing to disclose tax warrants, a tax lien and a judgment on his U4 (required industry documentation), he has also been…

Allegations concerning customer funds lead to permanent FINRA bar Barbara Fife consented to the sanction that she failed to provide documents and information requested by FINRA during an investigation into accusations that she converted funds from a customer. In October of 2015, a client reported that she wrote checks directly…

FINRA has barred Liam Gerald O’Keefee alleging unauthorized trading, misappropriation of funds, and unsuitable recommendations. As of October 20, 2015, Liam Gerald O’Keefee has been permanently barred by FINRA. O’Keefee consented to the sanctions and to the findings that he did not provide the information and documents requested by FINRA. During…

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for June 2016, the following individuals were barred from FINRA and cannot currently work for a FINRA brokerage firm for failing to provide FINRA with information it requested or to keep information current with FINRA pursuant to FINRA rules: NAME FORMER EMPLOYERS   Vladimir Belyaev…

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for June 2016, the following individuals were suspended from FINRA for failing to comply with a FINRA arbitration award or settlement agreement pursuant to FINRA rules: NAME FORMER EMPLOYERS   Barry Boyd Blount, Sr.   Insight Advisors, LLC   Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.   Joseph…

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for June 2016, the following individuals were suspended from FINRA and cannot currently work for a FINRA brokerage firm for failing to provide FINRA with information it requested or to keep information current with FINRA pursuant to FINRA rules: NAME FORMER EMPLOYERS   Aaron Carter…