Recent Blog Posts
South Florida Financial Advisor Fined $10,000 and Suspended for 16 Months for Taking Improper Loans from Customers
Michael Kris Pina (CRD #5922058) was registered as a securities broker from September of 2013 to March of 2019. During that time, he worked at PFS Investments Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 2019, Mr. Pina was permitted to resign from the brokerage firm after allegedly taking improper loans from at least four different… Read More »
SEC Issues Litigation Update: Agency Obtains Judgment in Civil Case Against a Florida-Based Investment Adviser
On November 9th, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a litigation update in its case against David C. Coggins, his Florida-based company Coral Gables Asset Management, and two other relief defendants. In August, the federal regulator filed civil charges in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida…. Read More »
Florida Broker Suspended for Improperly Exercising Discretion in Customer Account
Stephen Paul Florio (CRD #1186577) is a licensed securities broker and professional investment advisor. From May of 2009 to July of 2015, Mr. Florio worked at Morgan Stanley. Subsequently, he was a financial representative for Raymond James & Associates from 2015 to 2018. Now, Mr. Florio is employed by Cambridge Investment Research. At all… Read More »
SEC Issues Largest Whistleblower Award in History—$114 Million in Total Compensation
On October 22nd, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released an official press statement confirming that the federal agency recently issued the largest whistleblower award in its history. The record-setting $114 million whistleblower award is made up of $52 million from the SEC and $62 million in a related action from another, unidentified… Read More »
Former West Palm Beach Broker Suspended for Taking Undisclosed Loan from Customer
Omar Waleed Hammad-Randolph (CRD #6087721) is a previously registered securities broker and financial advisor. From August of 2012 until October of 2014, Mr. Hammad-Randolph was a representative for Morgan Stanley in West Palm Beach, FL. Subsequently, he served as a registered broker for Merrill Lynch in Boca Raton, FL. On August 6th, 2020, the… Read More »
Palm Beach County Broker Barred From Securities Industry After Unsuitable Investment Complaints
Marshall Owen Isaacson (CRD #1140370) is a previously registered securities broker. From August of 2007 to July of 2016, Mr. Isaacson was a representative for National Securities Corporation in Boca Raton, Florida. Subsequently, he served as a financial representative for Newbridge Securities., also based at a branch location in Boca Raton. Since 2016, at… Read More »
SEC Charges Florida Resident With Penny Stock Fraud Aimed at Senior Citizen Investors
On September 29th, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced charges against three Florida residents. According to allegations raised by the federal agency, Mason Newman, Christian Baquerizo, and Kevin Cardenas defrauded elderly investors out of nearly $1.5 million in an unregistered penny stock scheme. In this post, our Miami elder investment fraud attorneys… Read More »
Florida Broker Barred After Refusing to Cooperate With an Investigation Into Allegations of Improper Borrowing from Senior Investor
Jean Connell Hicks (CRD #1005922) is a former licensed securities broker. From May of 2005 until July of 2020, she served as a representative for Fortune Financial Services, Inc. During this time, she was located at a branch office in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ms. Connell Hicks also has more than two decades of previous… Read More »
FINRA Complaint: Fort Lauderdale Financial Advisor Accused of Churning, Unsuitable Investments
Bryan G. Mazliach (CRD No. 5518438) is a previously registered FINRA broker. From January of 2015 to September of 2017, Mr. Mazliach was a representative of Laidlaw & Company. Subsequently, he worked as a financial advisor for Westpark Capital. At both firms, Mr. Mazliach was based at a branch office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida…. Read More »
Securities and Exchange Commission Awards More than $2.5 Million to Joint Whistleblowers
On September 1st, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a public statement confirming that more than $2.5 million in compensation has been awarded to joint whistleblowers. The award is the 92nd in the history of the program. Approximately $510 million in whistleblower compensation has now been awarded by the agency. This whistleblower… Read More »
