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Articles Posted in Stockbroker Misconduct

Thomas Marino (Thomas John Marino CRD#: 4438533) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose most recent employer was R.M. Stark & Co., Inc. (CRD#:7612) of Lake Worth Beach, FL. Previous employers include J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. (CRD#:124583) of Sarasota, FL, Newbridge Securities Corporation (CRD#:104065) of Boca Raton, FL, and Summit Brokerage Services, Inc. (CRD#:34643) of West Palm Beach, FL. He has been in the industry since 2001. Thomas Marino Customer Dispute On 4/12/2019, a customer filed a dispute alleging that Marino made “inappropriate and unsuitable investments for her risk tolerance.”  The client requested damages of $300,000, and the claim is reported as resolved. According to filings in the case, The causes of action relate to Respondent Marino’s alleged recommendation to transfer a portion of Claimant’s retirement assets from various variable annuities and to re-direct the investment proceeds into investments with Respondent Capstone, a single-member Limited Liability Company, owned and controlled by Respondent Marino. A financial advisor generally should not recommend an investment in a company in which he is personally invested. Mr. Marino’s interest in Capstone would need to be clearly explained to the investor and fully disclosed to his employer and the customer.Thomas Marino (Thomas John Marino CRD#: 4438533) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose most recent employer was R.M. Stark & Co., Inc. (CRD#:7612) of Lake Worth Beach, FL. Previous employers include J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. (CRD#:124583) of Sarasota, FL, Newbridge Securities Corporation (CRD#:104065) of Boca Raton, FL, and Summit Brokerage Services, Inc. (CRD#:34643) of West Palm Beach, FL. He has been in the industry since 2001. Continue reading ›

Bradley Renberg (Bradley Leo Renberg CRD: #2155253, aka “Bradley Leo Rewberg”) is a currently registered broker and investment advisor currently employed with Ameriprise Financial Services (CRD#: 6363) of West Des Moines, IA. He was previously employed by Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc. (CRD#:5979), also of West Des Moines, and by Hibbard Brown & Co., Inc. (CRD#:18246, expelled by FINRA on 2/22/1996) of New York City. He has been in the business since 1991. A client dispute filed on 5/8/2019 alleged that from the five-year period of May 2014 through May 2019, Renberg “recommended unsuitable investments and transactions including high-risk investments in the energy and retail sectors.”  The clients requested damages of $380,000, and Ameriprise settled the case for $150,000, to avoid the potential expense of arbitration.Bradley Renberg (Bradley Leo Renberg CRD: #2155253, aka “Bradley Leo Rewberg”) is a currently registered broker and investment advisor currently employed with Ameriprise Financial Services (CRD#: 6363) of West Des Moines, IA. He was previously employed by Ameriprise Advisor Services, Inc. (CRD#:5979), also of West Des Moines, and by Hibbard Brown & Co., Inc. (CRD#:18246, expelled by FINRA on 2/22/1996) of New York City. He has been in the business since 1991. Continue reading ›

Hector Luna (Hector Luis Luna) is a previously registered broker whose last employer was Pruco Securities, LLC. (CRD#:5685). He has been in the industry since 2012. During Luna’s tenure, specifically from September 2018 through his termination in January of 2019, Pruco Securities had a policy that prohibited representatives or any of the representative’s family members from becoming beneficiaries of a customer's life insurance policy. Luna also stated annually that he understood this policy, and would report to his manager any known violation that he became aware of. Despite this annual declaration, Luna assisted a senior customer of the firm to change the beneficiaries of two life insurance policies to Luna’s wife and adult children. The total combined value of these policies was $350,000. At first, the customer suggested making Luna the beneficiary, but Luna declined based on the firm’s policies, then suggested his wife and children. Once the beneficiaries were changed, Luna submitted the forms but did not notify the firm of his family members involvement.Hector Luna (Hector Luis Luna) is a previously registered broker whose last employer was Pruco Securities, LLC. (CRD#:5685). He has been in the industry since 2012.

During Luna’s tenure, specifically from September 2018 through his termination in January of 2019, Pruco Securities had a policy that prohibited representatives or any of the representative’s family members from becoming beneficiaries of a customer’s life insurance policy. Luna also stated annually that he understood this policy, and would report to his manager any known violation that he became aware of. Continue reading ›

Brian DiBrino (Brian Joseph DiBrino CRD: #2837066) is a registered broker and a previously registered investment advisor who is currently employed with American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (CRD#:18487) of Fairfield, NJ. His previous employers include First Allied Advisory Services, Inc. (CRD#:137888), First Allied Securities, Inc. (CRD#:32444) and SII Investments, Inc. (CRD#:2225), also of Fairfield. He has been in the industry since 1997. DiBrino is the subject of two pending customer disputes. The first was filed on 7/15/2020, alleging “misrepresentation, unsuitable recommendations, breach fiduciary duty, failure to supervise, breach of contract and negligence” in relation to alternative investments. The clients are requesting damages of $125,000. DiBrino denies the claims, and states that they have not been clients for more than three years.Brian DiBrino (Brian Joseph DiBrino CRD: #2837066) is a registered broker and a previously registered investment advisor who is currently employed with American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (CRD#:18487) of Fairfield, NJ. His previous employers include First Allied Advisory Services, Inc. (CRD#:137888), First Allied Securities, Inc. (CRD#:32444) and SII Investments, Inc. (CRD#:2225), also of Fairfield. He has been in the industry since 1997. Continue reading ›

Omar Hammad-Randolph (Omar Waleed Hammad-Randolph CRD# 6087721) is a previously registered broker who last worked for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD# 7691) in their Boca Raton, Florida office. FINRA suspended Omar Hammad-Randolph for borrowing $150,000 from a customer without disclosing the loan or obtaining approval from the firm. Omar Hammad-Randolph Disclosures Omar Hammad-Randolph has been in the securities industry since 2012 and has 4 disclosures on his publicly-available FINRA BrokerCheck report: August, 2020: A regulatory disclosure initiated by FINRA states “Without admitting or denying the findings, Hammad-Randolph consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he borrowed $150,000 from a customer at his member firm without disclosing the loan to, and obtaining approval from, the firm. The findings stated that Hammad-Randolph purchased a house for investment which he partially financed through the loan that he obtained from the customer. The findings also stated that Hammad-Randolph engaged in outside business activities without disclosing them in writing to, and obtaining approvals from, the firm for the expanded scope of his and his trust's business activities…” Omar Hammad-Randolph was fined $10,000 and suspended in all capacities for five months.Omar Hammad-Randolph (Omar Waleed Hammad-Randolph CRD# 6087721) is a previously registered broker who last worked for Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD# 7691) in their Boca Raton, Florida office. FINRA suspended Omar Hammad-Randolph for borrowing $150,000 from a customer without disclosing the loan or obtaining approval from the firm. Continue reading ›

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for September 2020, 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
  Madeline Colon
  Blair Olsen   Lincoln Investment
  Legend Equities Corporation
  Jennifer Pendley   J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  Scott Snelling   Kestra Investment Services, LLC
  National Planning Corporation

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According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for September 2020, 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
  William Baris   Network 1 Financial Securities Inc.
  Joseph Stone Capital LLC
  Todd Paynter   Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.
  Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
  Nelson Polun   Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
  Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc
  Adam Schachter   LPL Financial LLC
  Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
  Paul Steffany   Moors & Cabot, Inc.
  Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
  Peter Walsworth   Morgan Stanley
  Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc

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According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for September 2020, 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. However, these individuals remain bound by the securities arbitration agreement to arbitrate any disputes between themselves and their former customers:

NAME FORMER EMPLOYERS
  William Ellis   Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
  Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
  John Evans   Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC
  Foreside Fund Services, LLC
  Dia Howell   U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
  May Kim   Pruco Securities, LLC
  Evan Nadelman   Aegis Capital Corp.
  Ninety Holdings Group LLC
  Blair Olsen   Lincoln Investment
  Legend Equities Corporation
  Gyasi Richard   Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC
  Philip Scherello   Traderfield Securities Inc.
  Velocity Capital, LLC

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Jesse Kovacs (Jesse Todd Kovacs CRD# 5047161) is a currently suspended broker who last worked for PTS Brokerage, LLC in their Forked River, New Jersey branch office. Kovacs was suspended for participating in a private securities transaction (selling away) without giving advance written notice to his firm. Jesse Kovacs Disclosures Jesse Kovacs has been in the securities industry since 2006. Before joining PTS Brokerage in 2019, Kovacs worked for The O.N. Equity Sales Company, Hornor, Townsend & Kent, Inc., and other broker-dealers. Kovacs has 6 disclosures on his publicly-available FINRA BrokerCheck report:Jesse Kovacs (Jesse Todd Kovacs CRD# 5047161) is a currently suspended broker who last worked for PTS Brokerage, LLC in their Forked River, New Jersey branch office. Kovacs was suspended for participating in a private securities transaction (selling away) without giving advance written notice to his firm. Continue reading ›

Anthony Hall (Anthony Glenn Hall CRD: #5546165) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Edward Jones (CRD: #250) of Dayton, Texas. He was employed with Edward Jones from 2008 until his discharge in 2019. No additional employment information is available.  On 8/12/2019, two customers filed disputes alleging that Hall’s wife borrowed money from them and had not yet paid it back. The loan amounts were $174,427.75 and $134,785.14, totaling of $309,212.89. The company settled the disputes for $174,427.75 and $130,000, respectively.  Edward Jones then terminated Hall on 8/14/2019, “after concerns that registered representative attempted to settle two client complaints involving lending arrangements with the registered representative's wife without notifying the firm.”  After his discharge, the firm then filed a Form U5 with FINRA indicating that they had terminated Hall for the reasons stated.Anthony Hall (Anthony Glenn Hall CRD: #5546165) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Edward Jones (CRD: #250) of Dayton, Texas. He was employed with Edward Jones from 2008 until his discharge in 2019. No additional employment information is available. Continue reading ›

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