Securities Arbitration Lawyers Blog

Customer disputes, judgments and tax liens checker this New York broker’s record. William “Billy” Nelson entered the securities industry over 18 years ago and to date has 16 disclosure events reported on his FINRA BrokerCheck record. Allegations against Nelson, currently with Meyers Associates, L.P., include a wide range of transgressions…

After serving 10 years in prison for prior securities law violations, investment fraud orchestrator Edward Durante is back in the news for allegations of a penny stock pump-and-dump scheme. Durante was criminally charged in December 2015 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and civilly…

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) BrokerCheck website, a customer filed a complaint against Teutonico (CRD# 2875434) on November 23, 2015 for excessive trading. This is the eleventh disclosure on his checkered broker report and the fifth in the last year.  Teutonico has been employed by Network 1…

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Oregon-based Aequitas Management, LLC (“Aequitas”), and several of its executives with operating a $350 million investment scheme that defrauded investors in a last-ditch effort to raise funds to save Aequitas from a complete financial collapse. Aequitas, along with CEO Robert J.…

Sales practice violations, misconduct and failure to respond to a FINRA request for information lead to suspension Formerly registered with Ameriprise Financial in California, ex-broker Li-Line Hsu was recently suspended by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). He was suspended under Rule 9552 which was failure to keep information current…

Silver Law Group is investigating numerous registered investment advisors (“RIAs”) connected to Oregon-based Aequitas Management, LLC’s (“Aequitas”) “Ponzi-like” scheme and $350 million of investor losses. On March 10, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a complaint against Aequitas and its various subsidiaries. The complaint’s most damning allegations include…

On February 18, 2016, the FBI raided the headquarters of UDF, the manager of a family of real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and other funds, sending shares of UDF’s largest fund, United Development Funding IV (“UDF IV”), tumbling 54% before NASDAQ halted trading, according to InvestmentNews. The FBI raid is…

A grand jury of the U.S District Court in Spartanburg, S.C. indicted former broker Claus C. Foerster (CRD# 1912949) for defrauding clients of $2.8 million over a 14-year period. Foerster perpetrated the fraud from 2000 to June 2014 while employed as a financial advisor at Smith Barney & Co., Morgan…

Failure to respond to FINRA’s request regarding customer loan ends securities career. In August 2015, Princor Financial Services Corp. broker Rick Esparza consented to findings he borrowed money from his client. The California broker allegedly made numerous withdrawals from his client’s variable annuity totaling a personal loan of $67,500. When…

Three most recent complaints involve allegations of suitability With almost 40 years in the securities industry, Child has a total of 14 disclosure events reported on his BrokerCheck record. Many events consist of customer disputes as to Child’s actions relating to customer brokerage accounts. The three most recent complaints involve…