Securities Arbitration Lawyers Blog

Florida Law Firm Silver Law Group is Investigating Thomas Meier of Morgan Stanley

July 25, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Leon-Vaccarelli-Fined-and-Sanctioned-by-FINRA-300x199-1-300x199 Thomas Meier (CRD #1146044) was barred from association with any FINRA member in all capacities. Without admitting or denying the findings, Meier consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he effected approximately 1,290 unauthorized transactions, including both purchases and sales of equity securities, in eight accounts belonging to six customers. The findings stated that none of the eight accounts were discretionary accounts and Meier did not have discussions with the customers about the trades prior to the transactions and did not obtain the customers’ authorization prior to executing any of the transactions. Meier received approximately $265,000 in commissions for those transactions. Two of the customers realized losses of approximately $78,000. In addition, there were unrealized losses in the accounts. To-date, Meier’s member firm, Morgan Stanley, has paid a total of approximately $1,087,610 to five of the customers in connection with complaints about Meier. The findings also stated that Meier exercised discretion in five accounts belonging to four separate customers. The findings also included that Meier made inaccurate statements on four annual compliance questionnaires that he did not have any accounts in which business was transacted on a discretionary basis.

Contact Our Firm if You’ve Invested with Thomas Meier

If you invested with Thomas Meier and believe you have lost money due to his misconduct, you may be able to file a claim to recover your losses through FINRA arbitration. For a free evaluation of your potential case by as securities attorney, please contact Silver Law Group. Our Florida securities arbitration lawyers can meet with you at our offices or at your home to discuss your potential claims.

Rare Diamond Investment Fraud Attorneys – Rare Diamond Investment Fraud

July 25, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Our investment fraud attorneys help victims of precious metal and exotic diamond frauds by con artists who promise quick profits from investing in rare diamonds or other exotic gems. Investors should be wary of any aggressive sales tactics or violations of state or federal securities laws. Bahram-Mirhashemi-Facing-Allegations-of-Elder-Financial-Fraud-300x200-300x200

Possible Fraudulent Sales Pitch Include:

Current news already known to the public such as:

Suspect You (or a Loved One) are a Victim of Elder Financial Fraud?

July 25, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Here’s what you need to do now

Elder financial fraud continues to be a lucrative scheme in America, which is why seniors and their loved ones always need to keep their guard up. We have previously discussed how to spot fraud and what some financial institutions are doing to prevent it, and this piece serves as a guide on what to do about the fraud that has occurred.

Victims, their family members, or caregivers should follow these steps to help limit the damage:

Silver Law Group Wins Securities Arbitration Award Against Former Naples, Florida-based Kovack Securities Broker Curtis D. Milakovich

July 24, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Silver Law Group attorneys have won an award against Curtis D. Milakovich, formerly of Kovack Securities Inc. on behalf of our clients through FINRA arbitration.

FINRA Awards Our Clients Damages Due to Curtis D. Milakovich’s Misconduct

FINRA-300x202 On December 22, 2017, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) awarded our clients $164,000 due to Milakovich’s misconduct, including unsuitable recommendations, unauthorized trading, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and churning.

Akers Bioscience and Aegis

July 23, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Akers Bioscience went public in 2014 using Aegis Financial as its investment banker and underwriter. In a subsequent offering in 2017, Akers investment banker and underwriter was Joseph Gunnar.

Akers Bioscience develops, manufactures, and supplies rapid screening and testing products designed to deliver quicker and more cost-effective healthcare information to healthcare providers and consumers. The Company has advanced the science of diagnostics while responding to major shifts in healthcare through the development of several proprietary platform technologies. The Company’s state-of-the-art rapid diagnostic assays can be performed virtually anywhere in minutes when time is of the essence. The Company has aligned with major healthcare companies and high volume medical product distributors to maximize product offerings, and to be a major worldwide competitor in diagnostics.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Akers Biosciences, Inc. (“Akers” or the “Company”) (AKER) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, District of New Jersey, and docketed under 18-cv-10805, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise, acquired Akers between May 15, 2017, through June 5, 2018, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants’ violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

Recro Pharma’s Investment Banker and Underwriter was Aegis Financial in Recro Pharma’s 2014 IPO

July 23, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Recro is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops non-opioid therapeutics for the treatment of pain in the post-operative setting. Recro offers its products to the medical industry. The Company’s lead product is a proprietary injectable form of meloxicam, a long-acting preferential COX-2 inhibitor (“IV meloxicam”) to be used for the management of moderate to severe pain.

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Recro Pharma is the subject of a class action complaint that alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) IV meloxicam lacked supporting clinical data to show sufficient clinical benefits to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval; and (ii) as a result, Recro’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On May 24, 2018, Recro announced that the FDA had declined to approve Recro’s New Drug Application (“NDA”) for IV meloxicam. In its Complete Response Letter, the FDA stated that the drug’s analgesic effects did not meet FDA expectations and raised questions related to chemistry, manufacturing and controls data.

Mitchell Yanow Barred by FINRA After Conversion of Customer Funds

July 20, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Former broker and investment advisor Mitchell Toby Yanow (CRD #2148171) was last employed by Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (CRD #793) of Boca Raton, FL. His previous employers include Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (CRD #249) and Wachovia Securities, LLC (CRD #19616), both of Palm Beach Gardens, FL. No current employment information is available. Yanow has been in the industry since 1991.

Even the Rich and Famous Can be Victims of Elder Financial Fraud on silverlaw.com
FINRA recently barred Yanow after a disciplinary action after an investigation found that he converted at least $205,586 of an elderly customer’s funds for his own personal use. The 87-year-old customer gave Yanow a series of blank, signed checks to use for paying his caregiver in the event that the client was unable to do it himself. However, Yanow instead used the checks, from the customer’s brokerage account at his own firm, to withdraw funds and pay for personal expenses such as fees for his children’s summer camp, overdue homeowner association fees and for the purchase of a 1976 Corvette.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Yanow signed a Letter of Acceptance, Consent & Waiver on 7/9/2018. Yanow has been barred indefinitely, in all capacities as of 7/11/2018, from any FINRA-registered firm.

Silver Law Group Wins $1.5 Million Securities Arbitration Award for Unsuitable Private Placement

July 18, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Our firm has won a $1.5 million FINRA arbitration award against a Texas-based brokerage firm that sold private placements in an oil and gas business venture to our client. The FINRA arbitration award included a significant million dollars in punitive damages. Silver Law Group continues to represent other investors in failed private placements or Reg D offerings.

Our Client Loses a Significant Amount of Money in an Oil and Gas Private Placement

According to the FINRA statement of claim, a broker of the Texas-based brokerage firm first met with our client and convinced him to fly to Texas for the investment pitch. Our client then met with the CEO of the brokerage firm and pitched the investment to our client. The investment proceeds would allegedly by used to drill oil wells for oil production. The CEO of the brokerage firm promised great returns on the investment within six months. Our client was convinced and invested approximately $521,000 – almost all of his life savings.

Protecting Alzheimer’s Patients from Financial Fraud

July 18, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s can be prime targets for financial predators

Unfortunately, we become more susceptible to financial scams from a wide range of offenders as we age. These include trusted advisors such as lawyers, accountants, and financial managers – as well as healthcare providers, caregivers, and even close family members.

Recent studies show that as our brains age, we become less able to detect deception and focus more on the potential for positive outcomes, especially when it comes to trusting people in our own social environment.

Daniel Glick Gets 12 Years in Jail for Elder Financial Fraud

July 11, 2018 | Silver Law Group

He defrauded his clients – including his own in-laws – of more than $5 million

Former Chicago investment advisor Daniel Glick will be spending the next 12 years in federal prison. He received this sentence in April after being found guilty of using a Ponzi-like scheme to defraud several of his clients of $5.2 million.

From 2011 to 2017, it was revealed that Glick misappropriated funds through the three financial services and accounting firms he owned in Orland Park, Illinois: Glick & Associates Ltd., Glick Accounting Services Inc., and Financial Management Strategies, Inc.