Securities Arbitration Lawyers Blog

Georgia Broker Clay Hoffman Suspended by FINRA

August 11, 2016 | Silver Law Group

Georgia Broker Clay Hoffman Suspended by FINRA on silverlaw.com

Allegations include unauthorized trading, misrepresentation and unsuitable investment recommedations

Clay Hoffman, who has been working in the financial services industry since 2001, has seven customer complaints against him, four pending complaints, several disputes, and was been terminated by Suntrust Investment Services after the firm conducted a review of his client account transactions. Hoffman was employed with SunTrust from 2007 to 2013. His employment history also includes working for Merrill Lynch in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and for Edward Jones in both Tifton, Georgia and St. Louis, Missouri.

According to FINRA, Hoffman is accused of:

Darnell Deans Fails to Pay FINRA Fines As Agreed, Is Permanently Barred

August 10, 2016 | Silver Law Group

Darnell Deans Fails to Pay FINRA Fines As Agreed, Is Permanently Barred on silverlaw.com

Broker is also accused of failure to disclose unsatisfied tax liens in excess of $250,000 and borrowing $266,000 from firm customers without consent.

Darnell Deans, most recently registered with Blackbook Capital, LLC in New York, is once again in hot water with FINRA.

A new disclosure on his BrokerCheck record shows that he allegedly failed to pay fines and/or costs of $10,000 in FINRA Case #2012030677101. In February 2015, a FINRA complaint was filed against Deans, alleging the following:

FINRA Suspends Registered Individuals in July 2016 for Failing to Comply with FINRA Rules

August 9, 2016 | Silver Law Group

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for July 2016, 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
Robert Joseph Altemus	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc
	Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Michael Britt Doyle	Sanctuary Securities, LLC
	UBS Financial Services Inc.
Richard Lee Ewalt	BB&T Investment Services Inc.
	Securities America, Inc.
John Fairfield	Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
	Chase Investment Services Corp.
George John Gilbert	Allied Beacon Partners, Inc.
	Community Bankers Securities, LLC
Brendan O’Connell	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.
	UBS Financial Services Inc.


Warren Marc Rockmacher	Investacorp, Inc.
	Chase Investment Services Corp.
Terry Gerard Roussel	Pacific Cornerstone Capital Incorporated
	Private Investors Equity Group
Jonathan Michael Sheklow	Rockwell Global Capital LLC
	Global Arena Capital Corp

Silver Law Group represents investors in securities and investment fraud cases through FINRA arbitration or court. Our lawyers are admitted to practice in New York and Florida and represent investors nationwide in securities arbitration to help recover investment losses due to stockbroker misconduct. If you have any questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney. Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

FINRA Suspends Registered Individuals in July 2016 for Violations of FINRA Rules

August 9, 2016 | Silver Law Group

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for July 2016, 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:

NAME	FORMER EMPLOYERS
David F. Bouchard
Alina Brindusescu	U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
Alina Brindusescu	HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
Francisco Javier Camacho	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Christopher Michael Cervino	Primary Capital, LLC
Christopher Michael Cervino	Cor Clearing LLC
David Glenn Gott	Ausdal Financial Partners, Inc.
David Glenn Gott	Berthel, Fisher & Company Financial Services Inc.
Israel Guzman	UnionBanc Investment Services, Inc.
Israel Guzman	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
John Vernon Heath	Independent Financial Group, LLC
John Vernon Heath	QA3 Financial Corp.
Steven Shane Horton	TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.
Holly Hurley
Phillip Joseph Johnson	Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Christos Angelo Kalatoudis	Worden Capital Management LLC
Christos Angelo Kalatoudis	National Securities Corporation
David Richard Kerr III	A&F Financial Securities, Inc.
Kenneth Joseph Kolquist	Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
Kenneth Joseph Kolquist	Securities America, Inc.
Donald Lyons	Nativeone Institutional Trading, LLC
Samuel Sylvanus McNinch IV	Kestra Investment Services, LLC
Samuel Sylvanus McNinch IV	Triad Advisors, Inc.
Krista Viola Milligan	BBVA Securities Inc.
Krista Viola Milligan	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc
Mercedes Molina
Kevin Michael Murphy	BMO Harris Financial Advisors, Inc.
Kevin Michael Murphy	LPL Financial LLC
Robert Isaac Newell	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc
Robert Isaac Newell	Edward Jones
Andrew Scott Oliveri	UBS Financial Services Inc.
David Thomas Owen III	Invest Financial Corporation
David Thomas Owen III	Questar Capital Corporation
Kimberly Joyce Padgett	GWN Securities Inc.
Kimberly Joyce Padgett	Lincoln Investment
Alfonso Papa	Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.
Alfonso Papa	HFP Capital Markets LLC
Paul M. Pemberton	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Paul M. Pemberton	Chase Investment Services Corp.
Claudia Patricia Phillips-Thompson	State Farm VP Management Corp.
Claudia Patricia Phillips-Thompson	Allstate Financial Services, LLC
Paris Marquis Rembert	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Dennis Kevin Smith	NativeOne Institutional Trading, LLC
Dennis Kevin Smith	Raymond C. Forbes & Co. Inc.
Barbara Jean Waters	Morgan Stanley
Barbara Jean Waters	Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

Silver Law Group represents investors in securities and investment fraud cases through FINRA arbitration or court. Our lawyers are admitted to practice in New York and Florida and represent investors nationwide in securities arbitration to help recover investment losses due to stockbroker misconduct. If you have any questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney. Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Individuals Barred by FINRA in July 2016 for Violations of FINRA Rules

August 9, 2016 | Silver Law Group

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for July 2016, 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
Gordon W. Adamson	Farmers Financial Solutions, LLC
Stephen R. Anders	Capital One Investment Services LLC
Stephen R. Anders	BB&T Investment Services, Inc.
Jonathan Arroyo	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Alex Ernesto Batlle	Forest Securities, Inc.
Alex Ernesto Batlle	Princor Financial Services Corporation
James Frederick Brennan	T.R. Winston & Company, LLC
James Frederick Brennan	Gilford Securities Incorporated
Ruben Emilio Cardenas	BBVA Securities Inc.
Ruben Emilio Cardenas	BBVA Compass Investment Solutions, Inc.
Jessica Alyssa Diaz	Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
Tameika Andrea Frinks	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Ronald Fred Hanson	Valmark Securities, Inc.
Ronald Fred Hanson	Securities America, Inc.
Daniel Helkowski III	Allstate Financial Services, LLC
Daniel Helkowski III	Nationwide Securities, Inc.
Jose Alberto Huerta	Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Jose Alberto Huerta	Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
Adrian Jablonski	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Adrian Jablonski	First Midwest Securities, Inc.
Chad Lewis Jackson	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Quyen Chi Loong	Aaron Capital Incorporated
Quyen Chi Loong	MetLife Securities Inc.
Elizabeth Grimaneza Looper	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Elizabeth Grimaneza Looper	Chase Investment Services Corp.
Matthew R. Mizera	Fifth Third Securities, Inc.
Matthew R. Mizera	Chase Investment Services Corp.
Lindsey Brooke Nelan
Justin Lee Norris	NYLife Securities LLC
Rafael Angel Ortiz	Cetera Investment Services LLC
Rafael Angel Ortiz	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Natalia Pesin	Pruco Securities, LLC
Linda A. Rapp
John M. Sayre	PFS Investments Inc.
Tanvir M. Shah
Brian Edward Shamash	State Farm VP Management Corp.
Keith Everett Sorrentino	Stock USA Execution Services, Inc.
Keith Everett Sorrentino	Regal Securities, Inc.
Thomas Suarez	Rockwell Global Capital LLC
Thomas Suarez	Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd
Michael John Tordone	TSC Distributors, LLC
Michael John Tordone	Lazard Asset Management Securities LLC
David Scott Whitesel	J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
David Scott Whitesel	Chase Investment Services Corp.
David Lee Willis	Allstate Financial Services, LLC
David Lee Willis	Prudential Securities Incorporated
Eugene Harold Wray	PFS Investments Inc.

Silver Law Group represents investors in securities and investment fraud cases through FINRA arbitration or court. Our lawyers are admitted to practice in New York and Florida and represent investors nationwide in securities arbitration to help recover investment losses due to stockbroker misconduct. If you have any questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney. Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.

Carlton E. Burton’s Short Brokerage Career Ends in Permanent Bar by FINRA

August 9, 2016 | Silver Law Group

Carlton E. Burton’s Short Brokerage Career Ends in Permanent Bar by FINRA on silverlaw.com

Florida-based broker allegedly misappropriated funds while associated with two different member firms.

Carlton E. Burton passed his Series 7 General Securities Representative Exam in October 2014. He passed his Series 66 Uniform Combined State Law Examination in June 2015. And in February 2016, Burton was permanently barred from associating with any FINRA member in any capacity.

The FINRA action results from Burton’s refusal to respond to FINRA’s request for documents and information during an investigation into allegations that he misappropriated assets from the investment advisory firm where he worked.

Utah Broker Thomas E. Andrews Permanently Barred by FINRA

August 8, 2016 | Silver Law Group

Utah Broker Thomas E. Andrews Permanently Barred by FINRA on silverlaw.com

Misappropriation of funds, breach of fiduciary duty, and mismanagement are just a few of the allegations cited

Silver Law Group is investigating Thomas Edward Andrews, a broker who was employed by LPL Financial in Salt Lake City, Utah. Andrews began his career in the financial services industry in October 2002. In 2015, he was terminated after the firm received allegations from clients that he was misappropriating funds, engaging in unauthorized borrowing, mismanaging investments and that he committed breach of fiduciary duty from 2011 through 2015, among others.

He was subsequently suspended and permanently barred by the FINRA after he failed to respond to requests for information regarding his termination and the allegations. According to his BrokerCheck Report, in November 2015, clients of Andrews filed a complaint claiming that he had formed fictitious trusts, provided forged application materials for annuity products and accepted funds from them payable to these trusts.

Broker Ricardo Broome Permanently Barred From FINRA

August 8, 2016 | Silver Law Group

Broker Ricardo Broome Permanently Barred From FINRA on silverlaw.com

Allegations of unauthorized trading and unauthorized use of margin, along with failure to respond, drive FINRA decision

Multiple customer disputes and tax liens line Ricardo A. Broome’s FINRA-generated BrokerCheck report. Most recently, allegations against Broome include unauthorized trading and unauthorized use of margin. Damages granted in customer disputes against Broome in his 12 years in the securities industry equal almost $50,000.

Tax liens and/or judgments against Broome during the same time period equal almost $40,000. Ultimately, however, Broome failed to respond to a FINRA request for information in late 2015, and as a result, FINRA permanently barred him from acting as a broker or otherwise associating with firms that sell securities to the public.

South Florida Broker Giovanni Acevedo Accused of Converting Funds and Providing False Information to FINRA

August 5, 2016 | Silver Law Group

South Florida Broker Giovanni Acevedo Accused of Converting Funds and Providing False Information to FINRA on silverlaw.com

Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. discharges Acevedo and FINRA permanently bars him as a result of alleged misconduct

Not only is former ING Financial Partners, Inc (now known as Voya Financial Advisors, Inc.) broker Giovanni Acevedo accused of converting over $160,000 in customer funds for his own personal use, he is also accused of lying to FINRA investigators when questioned about the related customer complaints.

According to FINRA, Acevedo made recommendations to three separate customers and took actions as follows:

Michigan-based Broker Merid Amde Suspended and Fined $20,000 By FINRA

August 5, 2016 | Silver Law Group

Michigan-based Broker Merid Amde Suspended and Fined $20,000 By FINRA on silverlaw.com

Allegations include violation of firm policy, unsuitability, excessive trading, unsolicited trade confirmations, among others.

During a 27-year career in the securities industry, Michigan broker Merid Amde has a total of six disclosure events listed on his BrokerCheck record. The most recent disclosure event landed the broker with a 3-month suspension from association with any FINRA member in all capacities and a fine of $20,000.

A closer look at the allegations listed on the most recent settlement agreement indicates the following: