Misrepresentation and Omission of Material Facts

Silver Law Group is Investigating Joseph Daniel Krueger, II of Stifel, Nicolaus, & Company

May 11, 2018 | Silver Law Group

New-York-Broker-Gregory-Flemming-Suspended-by-FINRA-300x200 Silver Law Group is currently investigating Cleveland, Ohio based broker Joseph Daniel Krueger II regarding complaints pertaining to engaging in outside securities transactions by issuing and selling away promissory notes in the amount of $200,000 with his prior brokerage firm’s clients without notifying his prior brokerage firm.

Based on FINRA’s BrokerCheck report on Joseph Krueger II, a FINRA regulatory action was filed on December 4, 2017 alleging that Krueger II provided misleading information to investor clients from Stifel, Nicolaus, & Company during his employment at Stifel, Nicolaus, & Company, Inc. regarding a startup App company while simultaneously engaging in the selling of outside securities, which were used to finance startup costs associated with the App company. The total in damages fined was $10,000, which also included a suspension of 3 months.

Krueger II was previously employed at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc. from 2001 to 2015. He has been employed at Robert W. Baird & Co. from 2015 to the present.

Craig Joseph Mardany

May 7, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Craig Joseph Mardany (CRD#4356113), a currently registered FINRA broker and employed with Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD# 7691) of Newport Beach, CA. He has been registered with this firm since 10/23/2009. He was previously registered with Banc of America Investment Services, Incorporated, (CRD# 16361) from 03/12/2001 through 10/23/2009.

A customer dispute was filed on 01/03/2018. The customers allege misrepresentation, omission of material facts and unsuitable investment recommendations from 2002 until 2016 for equity listed common & preferred stock and variable share prepaid forward contracts. The customers have requested $10,000,000 in damages. The case is pending, and Mardany is still with Merrill Lynch.

Silver Law Group represents investors in securities and investment fraud cases. Our lawyers are admitted to practice in New York and Florida and represent investors nationwide to help recover investment losses due to stockbroker misconduct. Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis. This means that you won’t any pay legal fees unless we are successful. Call us toll free at 800-975-4345, or user our online contact form to get in touch.

Broker Bradley Everett Gardner Accused Of Churning, Resigns After Accepting Customer Check In His Name

May 4, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Bradley Everett Gardner (CRD# 4423724) is a former broker and investment advisor whose last known position in the financial industry was with LPL, LLC, (CRD# 6413) of Fort Bragg, CA. He worked for LPL from 02/27/2012 to 10/18/2017. Previously, Gardner worked for:

Raymond Jones Financial Services, Inc. (CRD# 6694) of Fort Bragg CA, from 06/01/2009 to 02/29/2012
Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (CRD# 11025) of Fort Bragg, CA, from 06/13/2005 to 06/02/2009

FINRA Investigates Jason Eric Zwibel In $2.6m Customer Dispute

May 3, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Jason Eric Zwibel (CRD# 2460258, aka, Jay Bell Zwibel) is a registered broker and investment advisor with Garden State Securities (CRD# 10083) in Wellington, FL. He has been with Garden State since 1/22/2010. He has worked as a broker since 1994, and previously worked for:

GunnAllen Financial, Inc. (CRD# 17609), Wellington, FL, from 06/22/2007 through 02/02/2010
Brookstreet Securities Corporation (CRD#14667), West Palm Beach, FL, from 08/24/1999 through 06/26/2007

Silver Law Group is Investigating Logan Burch Phillips, Jr. of Raymond James & Associates

May 3, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Silver Law Group is currently looking into customer allegations against Logan Burch Phillips, Jr. (CRD #1248589.) Phillips is a previously registered broker who last worked as a broker for Raymond James & Associates (CRD #705) in Jackson MS, from 2013 to 2016. He was previously employed by Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. (CRD #4161, also in Jackson, MS) from 1990 through 2013, and by Scharff & Jones, Inc. (CRD# 745, no location listed) from 1974 through 1990. He is not currently registered as a broker, investment advisor or other financial services professional, and no current employment information is available.

Since 2009, Phillips has been the subject of nine customer disputes that were settled or withdrawn, with one denial. Two recent disputes were filed in 2017 and are currently pending.

The first dispute was filed on June 27, 2017, and included activity from June 2004 through October of 2017, and include allegations of “Fraud, Concealment, Unsuitability, Breach of Contract, Negligence, Gross Negligence, Bad Faith and Violations of SEC and FINRA Rules. Date of Activity: 6/2004 thru 6/2013.” The claimants have requested damages of $800,000.

Silver Law Group is Investigating Melvin Case of LPL Financial

May 1, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Melvin Case (CRD# 2393464) has been with LPL Financial in Jacksonville, Florida since 2008. In 2017, he was discharged from the firm in relation to a 2016 felony criminal charge in Duval County Circuit Court. Case pled guilty to exploitation of an aged adult and was sentenced to two years of probation. According to LPL Financial, Case was converting this elderly individual’s funds for his own personal benefit. This guilty plea also led FINRA to bring a regulatory action against Case in January 2018. FINRA found that Case failed to timely disclose his felony charge and guilty plea to the agency; he was suspended for six months and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

Case has also been the subject of several customer disputes. In 2017, one of Case’s customers brought a claim alleging Case made misrepresentations and poor recommendations in connection with the customer’s purchase of variable annuities. In another dispute from 2004, a Claimant similarly alleged that Pruco Securities (Case’s former employer) and Case made unsuitable recommendations and misrepresentations in connection with insurance products purchased by the Claimant. That case settled for $100,000, with Case responsible for paying two-thirds of the settlement.

FINRA requires its members to “have a reasonable basis to believe that a recommended transaction or investment strategy” is suitable for a customer given their individual needs. FINRA also requires that its members refrain from engaging in fraudulent or deceptive practices with their customers.

FINRA Bans Broker Michael Alan Siegel After Repeated Complaints and Investigations

April 27, 2018 | Silver Law Group

FINRA has barred Michael Alan Siegel (CRD# 1950871) from “acting as a broker or otherwise associating with a broker-dealer firm.” Siegel was a previously registered broker and investment advisor and worked in the financial services industry since 1992. His last registered place of employment was with National Securities Corporation of Edison, NJ (CRD# 7569), from 04/21/2014 through 05/13/2016

Siegel’s previous work history includes 13 investment companies:

Concorde Investment Services (CRD# 151604), in Parsippany, NJ from 09/19/2013 through 04/22/2014

Colorado Investigates California-Based Peter Gerhard Klaas For High Risk Trading, Seeking License Revocation

April 13, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Peter Gerhard Klaas (CRD# 2381681) is currently registered as a broker and investment advisor, and is employed at El Segundo, CA-based Cetera Advisor Networks since 05/2017. He is registered with Cetera in both Murray, UT and Las Vegas, NV, and licensed in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Utah.

Klaas was previously employed with Allegis Investment Services (05/2014-03/2017,) Signator Financial Services (04/2011-06/2014), and LPL Financial (09-2007-05/2011.)

The Colorado Division of Securities is currently investigating broker Klaas for along with broker Heath Bowen (CRD# 4824684) for putting advisory clients in high-risk and complex option trades that said clients didn’t understand. CDS is not requesting monetary damages in this pending investigation, but is asking for the revocation of Klaas’ licensure. This investigation began while Klaas was employed with Allegis.

SEC Investigation Of Morgan Stanley And Puerto Rico Bond Investments

April 6, 2018 | Silver Law Group

When Hurricane Maria landed in Puerto Rico, it caused devastation to the island’s infrastructure, crops, homes and power grid that will take many years to repair. But the damages to Puerto Rico include losses in municipal bonds and the mutual funds that hold them, which were close to default even before the storm.

While the island still struggles to recover, it wasn’t the first catastrophic event to hit the island territory. In 2014, Puerto Rico was already headed for a severe financial crisis, with bond sales from Morgan Stanley brokers as the catalysts.

Morgan Stanley and Barclay’s were responsible for underwriting the island’s $3.5 billion sale in March 2014. This sale was the last major issue by Puerto Rico before declaring bankruptcy on May 3, 2017, for a debt restructuring amounting to $3.8 trillion. The island’s debt stood at $70 million, and it needed to restructure pensions of $49 million. This municipal bankruptcy was even bigger than the city of Detroit’s 2013 restructuring of $18 billion.

Silver Law Group is Investigating Christopher Bennett of Hilliard Lyons

March 6, 2018 | Silver Law Group

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel awarded a customer of Christopher Bennett of Hillard Lyons damages of $445,000 after the claimant alleged Bennett engaged in breach of fiduciary duty, unauthorized trading, suitability, churning, misrepresentation, omission of facts, common law negligence, fraud, failure to supervise, common law negligent supervision and violation of Kentucky statutes, regulations and FINRA rules. The causes of action related to losses to the client’s qualified and non-qualified retirement accounts. The investor alleges Mr. Bennett executed transactions in her accounts without authorization, allocated her assets in an unsuitable manner for someone her age and with her investment objectives without discussing the risk associated with such re-allocation, and engaged in excessive trading in her accounts. A brokerage firm has a duty to supervise a stockbroker for compliance with the securities laws and internal firm rules and regulations.

Christopher Duke Bennett is currently registered with J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons in Louisville, Kentucky, and has been since December 1995. He has six customer disputes against him, three of which are currently pending.

Contact Our Firm if You’ve Invested with Christopher Bennett