Category Archives: Investment Fraud
FINRA Sanctions Merrill Lynch for Inadequate Supervision of Customer Accounts
On November 30th, 2016, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has announced more than $7 million in penalties against Merrill Lynch. The wealth management company was hit with $6.25 million in fines and was ordered to pay another $788,000 in restitution to the affected customers. Merrill Lynch consented to the sanctions, but did not… Read More »
Renewable Energy Company Defrauded Investors Out of More Than $30 Million
Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil complaint against a renewable energy company. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for Central California, was brought against Patrick S. Carter and his company 808 Renewable Energy Corp. In related lawsuits, the SEC also took legal actions against several co-conspirators,… Read More »
Former Movie Producer Allegedly Defrauds Investors Out of Millions
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged a former movie producer with investment fraud. According to the complaint from the agency, which was recently filed in Southern District of New York, David R. Bergstein bilked investors out of more than $5 million. The SEC alleges that $2.3 million was intentionally misappropriated and another… Read More »
Retired NFL Superstar Patrick Willis Sues Ex-Business Partner for Investment Fraud
In 2015, All-Pro NFL linebacker Patrick Willis surprised many when he cut his NFL career short and headed to Silicon Valley. Willis invested in, and took an executive position with, upstart tech company Open Source Storage. He also relied on the company’s principal, Eren Niazi, to invest in several other projects. Unfortunately, it appears… Read More »
FINRA Orders Five Companies to Pay Customers More Than $6 Million
Recently, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced fines against five broker-dealers. Collectively, the companies were ordered to pay $6.2 million in fines and restitution to customers. The broker-dealers that were fined included VOYA Financial Advisors, Cetera Advisors Networks, First Allied Securities, Summit Brokerage Services and VSR Financial Services. The fines stemmed from the… Read More »
Financial Adviser Overbilled Clients, Stole Assets
On October 27th, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC) filed charges against a California financial adviser named Marc D. Broidy and his investment firm Broidy Wealth Advisors, LLC (BWA). According to the complaint filed by the agency, Broidy and his company took in more than $1.4 million in ill-gotten gains from clients. The… Read More »
Financial Firm Censured and Fined by FINRA for Multiple Violations
Recently, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) censured Caldwell International Services Corporation and fined the firm $1,000,000. The company was also forced to pay $1,026,089.48 in restitution to the affected clients. The penalties came in response to the company’s repeated violations of fiduciary duty to its customers and violations investment regulations. The firm’s principal,… Read More »
The History Of Troubled NFLPA Registered Financial Advisors
Since its inception in 2002, the NFLPA Financial Advisor program has had more than its fair share of troubled financial advisors registered in the program. Kirk Wright, Nelson “Keith” Bond, Jeffrey Rubin, Kurt Barton, Jinesh “Hodge” Brahmbhatt, Aaron Parthemer, Sylvester King, Jr., Jonathan Schwartz, and Ash Narayan were all registered in the NFLPA Financial… Read More »
Financial Adviser Charged with Fraud for Cherry-Picking Trades and Misleading Investors
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced fraud charges against Laurence I. Balter, a financial adviser based in Hawaii. The charges were brought in relation to operations Balter conducted through his investment firm, Oracle Investment Research. According to the allegations, he ‘cherry-picked’ successful trades and assigned them to his own personal account and… Read More »
What You Need to Know About Using BrokerCheck
When it comes to investing, there is nothing more important than ensuring that you are working with a qualified (and trustworthy) broker. Are you confident that you can trust your investment adviser? It is reasonable to be concerned as it can be difficult to be certain that you are working with the right person…. Read More »
