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Articles Posted in Stockbroker Misconduct

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Back in 2019, we blogged about broker Michael Venturino (CRD #5872439), the subject of multiple customer disputes totaling $1.6 million. Since then, he has additional disclosures, including two judgements, a bankruptcy discharge, and of course, more customer disputes. At this writing, Venturino is still registered and employed with Spartan Capital Securities, LLC (CRD#: 146251) of Garden City, NY. He began his broker career in 2010. In the disciplinary action, FINRA’s investigation found that Venturino exercised de facto control over the accounts of eleven clients while at Aegis and made unauthorized trades in a total of twelve accounts. He made recommendations to the clients of what they should buy and sell as well as unauthorized trading.Back in 2019, we blogged about broker Michael Venturino (CRD #5872439), the subject of multiple customer disputes totaling $1.6 million. Since then, he has additional disclosures, including two judgements, a bankruptcy discharge, and of course, more customer disputes. Continue reading ›

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Most investors believe their broker and broker-dealer have their best interests in mind when making recommendations. As we’ve reported many times in this blog, that’s not always the case. The SEC’s newest rule, called Regulation Best Interest, nicknamed Reg BI, is the latest in the effort to make the market a safe place for investors. Now, Reg BI has led to its first enforcement action. Silver Law Group represents investors in claims against selling broker-dealers for losses relating to GWG L Bonds and violations of Regulation Best Interest and other FINRA rules and regulations.Most investors believe their broker and broker-dealer have their best interests in mind when making recommendations. As we’ve reported many times in this blog, that’s not always the case. The SEC’s newest rule, called Regulation Best Interest, nicknamed Reg BI, is the latest in the effort to make the market a safe place for investors. Now, Reg BI has led to its first enforcement action. Continue reading ›

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We’ve written frequently about GWG Holdings, the now-bankrupt Dallas-based company that bought out life insurance policies from people who needed cash more than their policies. The company sold those policies to other investors who would see a return when the original policyholder passed away. Then the company crashed and burned. The L Bonds, as they were called, required patience from investors. After all, the policy payout would come when the original policyholder died. Last August, the company temporarily halted the sales of their L Bonds, leading to a series of events that ended with GWG Holdings declaring bankruptcy in April of 2022. Investors in L Bonds were left with nothing. So, what happened to the investor’s funds that were going to earn them great returns?We’ve written frequently about GWG Holdings, the now-bankrupt Dallas-based company that bought out life insurance policies from people who needed cash more than their policies. The company sold those policies to other investors who would see a return when the original policyholder passed away.

Then the company crashed and burned. Continue reading ›

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Scott Silver, managing partner of Silver Law Group, was selected as a top-rated securities litigation attorney by Super Lawyers for 2022. Scott received the same award in 2021, and was previously selected for Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list. Scott represents investors nationwide in securities arbitration, investment fraud, and stockbroker misconduct cases, as well as in plaintiff-side class action litigation and represents victims of Ponzi schemes. Silver Law Group represents individual investors and institutions in claims against investment advisors, brokerage firms, hedge funds and others. Scott also serves as counsel to receivers related to recovering investor losses from Ponzi schemes. Scott has vast experience representing investors in arbitration before FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), AAA (American Arbitration Association), and NFA (National Futures Association).  Scott Silver, managing partner of Silver Law Group, was selected as a top-rated securities litigation attorney by Super Lawyers for 2022. Scott received the same award in 2021, and was previously selected for Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list.

Scott represents investors nationwide in securities arbitration, investment fraud, and stockbroker misconduct cases, as well as in plaintiff-side class action litigation and represents victims of Ponzi schemes. Continue reading ›

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James Seijas (James Alan Seijas CRD# 2392901) is a former broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC (CRD#:19616) of Short Hills, NJ. His former employers include TD Ameritrade, Inc. (CRD#:7870) of Morristown, NJ, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (CRD#:7784) of Wayne, NJ, and Barclays Capital Inc. (CRD#:19714) of New York, NY. He has been in the industry since 1997. Seijas worked for Wells Fargo Clearing Services from March of 2013 through March of 2019, when he voluntarily resigned. However, on March 24th, 2020, Wells Fargo filed an amendment to his Uniform Termination Notice For The Security Industry Registration Form, or Form U5. In the amended version, Wells Fargo revealed for the first time that Seijas had been named as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging that he was misrepresenting investments as part of a Ponzi scheme.James Seijas (James Alan Seijas CRD# 2392901) is a former broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC (CRD#:19616) of Short Hills, NJ. His former employers include TD Ameritrade, Inc. (CRD#:7870) of Morristown, NJ, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (CRD#:7784) of Wayne, NJ, and Barclays Capital Inc. (CRD#:19714) of New York, NY. He has been in the industry since 1997. Continue reading ›

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James Simpson (James Earl Simpson CRD# 424828) is a former registered broker and investment adviser whose last known employer was Equitable Advisors, LLC (CRD#:6627) of Toledo, OH. His previous employer was The Equitable Life Assurance Society Of The United States (CRD#:4039) of New York, NY. He has been in the industry since 1972. in Simpson's nearly 50-year career, he has a total of five disclosures, three of which are customer disputes. The most recent was filed on 9/24/2021, in which the client alleged misappropriations of funds for an investment sold outside of the firm. This is known as “selling away,” since the product being sold is not part of the firm's offerings. At this writing, the claim is currently listed as pending. A previous disclosure filed on August 6, 2021, also still pending, contains allegations that Simpson sold her an unsuitable variable annuity and misinformed her about a mutual fund investment. No specified damages are listed in either one of these claims.James Simpson (James Earl Simpson CRD# 424828) is a former registered broker and investment adviser whose last known employer was Equitable Advisors, LLC (CRD#:6627) of Toledo, OH. His previous employer was The Equitable Life Assurance Society Of The United States (CRD#:4039) of New York, NY. He has been in the industry since 1972. Continue reading ›

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Caroline Mohan, aka, Caroline Reyes (CRD:# 2429577) is a former registered broker and investment advisor. Her last known employer was LPL Financial LLC (CRD#:6413) of West Palm Beach, FL. She was previously employed as a broker with Invest Financial Corporation (CRD#:12984) of Palm Beach Gardens and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD#:7691) of Lake Worth, FL. She has been in the industry since 2011. Mohan resigned from LPL Financial while under internal review for possible involvement with an outside business activity that she failed to disclose to the firm. Additionally, she was also alleged to have participated in private securities transactions. On March 11th, 2021, LPL Financial filed a uniform termination notice for securities industries registration, or a Form U5, stating that Mohan voluntarily resigned during an internal review. As a result, FINRA initiated an investigation, and requested on-the-record testimony from her. Mohan declined to provide this information, in violation of FINRA policies. In response for Mohan’s refusal to provide on the record testimony, FINRA issued a sanction barring Mohan from association with any FINRA member in all capacities. Mohan signed a letter of Acceptance Waiver And Consent (AWC) letter on November 17th, 2021. The bar became went into effect on November 22nd, 2021. Mohan has no other disclosures in her CRD.Caroline Mohan, aka, Caroline Reyes (CRD# 2429577) is a former registered broker and investment advisor. Her last known employer was LPL Financial LLC (CRD#:6413) of West Palm Beach, FL. She was previously employed as a broker with Invest Financial Corporation (CRD#:12984) of Palm Beach Gardens and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD#:7691) of Lake Worth, FL. She has been in the industry since 2011. Continue reading ›

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Michael Beebe (Michael Douglas Beebe, CRD# 2231851) is a former broker and investment advisor whose most recent employment was with LPL Financial LLC (CRD# 6413) of Webster, NY. His previous employers include Nationwide Securities, LLC (CRD# 11173) of Elbridge, NY, 1717 Capital Management Company (CRD# 4082) and MML Investors Services, Inc. (CRD# 10409) of Rochester, NY.  He has 27 years in the industry, beginning in 1992. A customer dispute filed on 5/21/2021 alleged that a promissory note investment Beebe recommended had a conflict of interest. The customer believed that the investment was a scam, was not in her best interests, and that it was from a company that Beebe was also personally involved with. The claim was settled for the $50,000 in damages that the customer requested. This dispute led to LPL Financial’s dismissal of Beebe on 9/21/2021 for allegations that he, “participated in private securities transaction without prior disclosure to, or approval from Firm.”  These dealings are also known as “outside business activities,” or OBA. Most broker-dealers require written permission for their brokers to participate in most types of work activities outside of their firm employment.Michael Beebe (Michael Douglas Beebe, CRD# 2231851) is a former broker and investment advisor whose most recent employment was with LPL Financial LLC (CRD# 6413) of Webster, NY. His previous employers include Nationwide Securities, LLC (CRD# 11173) of Elbridge, NY, 1717 Capital Management Company (CRD# 4082) and MML Investors Services, Inc. (CRD# 10409) of Rochester, NY. He has 27 years in the industry, beginning in 1992. Continue reading ›

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Jesus Rodriguez (CRD#: 4888685) is a former broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Morgan Stanley (CRD#:149777) of El Paso, Texas. His former employers are Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (CRD#:7059) and    Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD#:7691), also of El Paso.  He has been in the industry since 2005. Rodriguez has a total of nine disclosures, all from 2021. The earliest, filed on 7/15/2021, alleges that Rodriguez used a customer’s credit line for his own personal benefit. This claim is currently pending, and requests damages of $61,431.00. He voluntarily resigned from Morgan Stanley on 8/6/2021 when the allegations came to light. Two customer disputes filed on 8/23/2021 have nearly identical allegations of improper withdrawals (one from 2017 through 2020). These two disputes were settled for $376,532.96 and $30,470.00, respectively.Jesus Rodriguez (CRD# 4888685) is a former broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Morgan Stanley (CRD#:149777) of El Paso, Texas. His former employers are Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (CRD# 7059) and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD# 7691), also of El Paso. He has been in the industry since 2005. Continue reading ›

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You’ve probably seen this statement in fine print on many investment-related documents and websites: “Past performance does not necessarily predict future results.” And it means exactly that—just because something performed well previously does not mean that it will perform that well in the future. That’s the nature of all investments. Because investments and investment accounts are highly complex, it’s vital to understand not only the investment, but how it’s being presented and in what context. You must understand the context of the performance claim before considering investing or working with a particular broker dealer. Companies are required to provide detailed financial information which can reasonably be relied on by investors.  Unfortunately, to frequently, companies are misreporting their financials or prior success to bolster its performance or stock price.You’ve probably seen this statement in fine print on many investment-related documents and websites:

“Past performance does not necessarily predict future results.”

And it means exactly that—just because something performed well previously does not mean that it will perform that well in the future. That’s the nature of all investments. Continue reading ›

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