Justia Lawyer Rating for Adam Julien Gana
Super Lawyers
The National Trial Lawyers
Martindale-Hubbell
AVVO
Top Financial Professionals in the US - Hot List

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Thomas Kienow (Kienow), currently associated with Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, Inc., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory event, alleging that Kienow recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on August 16, 2024.

Denial of application for insurance license in Kansas due to a misdemeanor within the last five years

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Omar Barakat (Barakat), previously associated with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Barakat recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $92,485.00  on August 15, 2024.

The client alleges starting in August 2019, Omar Barakat improperly solicited and traded in his account for management fees.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Matthew Schissler (Schissler), previously associated with Msc – Bd, LLC, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory event, alleging that Schissler recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on August 19, 2024.

The Securities and Exchange Commission deems it appropriate that cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) against GHS Investments, LLC (GHS), Mark S. Grober, Sarfraz S. Hajee, and Matthew L. Schissler (collectively, Respondents). In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondents have submitted Offers of Settlement which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over them and the subject matter of these proceedings, which are admitted, and except as provided herein, Respondents consent to the entry of this Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a Cease-and-Desist Order (‘Order’). The commission finds that this matter involves violations of the Exchange Act’s broker-dealer registration provisions by GHS. From 2017 through 2022 (the relevant period), GHS operated as an unregistered securities dealer and sold billions of shares of stock from at least 23 issuers into the public market and generated millions of dollars in profits for its own account. During the relevant period, GHS engaged in the regular business of acquiring convertible, variable rate notes from penny stock securities issuers, converting the notes into stock at a substantial discount from the prevailing market price, and selling the resulting newly issued shares of the issuers’ stock into the public market to obtain profits from the difference between the discounted share price it received and the prevailing market price of the stock. Because GHS was not registered with the Commission as a securities dealer, GHS avoided certain regulatory obligations that govern the conduct of dealers in the marketplace, including the requirements to follow financial responsibility rules and maintain certain books and records. Grober, Hajee, and Schissler managed the day-to-day operations of GHS and shared the decision-making authority over GHS’s acquisition and disposition of convertible notes during the relevant period. As a result, GHS violated and Grober, Hajee, and Schissler caused GHS’s violations of Section 15(a)(1) of the Exchange Act.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Christopher Reynolds (Reynolds), previously associated with Pruco Securities, Llc., has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Reynolds recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on August 16, 2024.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Reynolds consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he caused his member firm to maintain inaccurate books and records by forging customer signatures. The findings stated that Reynolds, without having the customers’ permission to do so, electronically signed or hand signed customers’ names on hard copy documents for three customers on 11 account documents. These account documents included transfer of assets forms and 1035 exchange/rollover/transfer forms and were required books and records of the firm. For two of these customers, Reynolds signed the customers’ names on withdrawal forms without the customers’ permission or authorization for the withdrawal or surrender. The findings also stated that Reynolds willfully violated Rule 15/-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Regulation BI or Reg Bl) by recommending that customers make annuity withdrawals or surrenders and reinvest the proceeds in a registered index-linked annuity without having a reasonable basis to believe those transactions were in his customers’ best interests. As a result, Reynolds’ customers incurred penalties such as surrender charges, the imposition of new, lengthier surrender periods, and tax consequences. The tax consequences could have been avoided if Reynolds recommended 1035 exchanges, as opposed to recommending full withdrawals or surrenders and then moving the money into the new product. After discovering Reynolds’ misconduct, his firm either reversed or stopped the customers’ transactions or, when that was not possible, paid the customers restitution. Reynolds also did not conduct a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the existing annuities and the new registered index-linked annuity or make a determination that the customers would benefit from the new products. Reynolds thus failed to consider whether the purchases were in the customers’ best interest in light of the disadvantages of giving up the prior annuity contracts. Overall, Reynolds’ recommendations caused the customers to incur over $32,000 in surrender fees, in addition to adverse tax consequences. The findings also included that Reynolds caused his firm to fail to retain emails and text messages as part of its books and records by using his personal email account and cell phone to exchange securities-related communications with firm customers. Reynolds did not forward his emails or text messages to the firm for review or retention.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Mark Grober (Grober), previously associated with Dreyfus Service Corporation, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory event, alleging that Grober recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on August 19, 2024.

The Securities and Exchange Commission deems it appropriate that cease-and-desist proceedings be, and hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) against GHS Investments, LLC (GHS), Mark S. Grober, Sarfraz S. Hajee, and Matthew L. Schissler (collectively, Respondents). In anticipation of the institution of these proceedings, Respondents have submitted Offers of Settlement which the Commission has determined to accept. Solely for the purpose of these proceedings and any other proceedings brought by or on behalf of the Commission, or to which the Commission is a party, and without admitting or denying the findings herein, except as to the Commission’s jurisdiction over them and the subject matter of these proceedings, which are admitted, and except as provided herein, Respondents consent to the entry of this Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings, Making Findings, and Imposing Remedial Sanctions and a Cease-and-Desist Order (‘Order’). The commission finds that this matter involves violations of the Exchange Act’s broker-dealer registration provisions by GHS. From 2017 through 2022 (the relevant period), GHS operated as an unregistered securities dealer and sold billions of shares of stock from at least 23 issuers into the public market and generated millions of dollars in profits for its own account. During the relevant period, GHS engaged in the regular business of acquiring convertible, variable rate notes from penny stock securities issuers, converting the notes into stock at a substantial discount from the prevailing market price, and selling the resulting newly issued shares of the issuers’ stock into the public market to obtain profits from the difference between the discounted share price it received and the prevailing market price of the stock. Because GHS was not registered with the Commission as a securities dealer, GHS avoided certain regulatory obligations that govern the conduct of dealers in the marketplace, including the requirements to follow financial responsibility rules and maintain certain books and records. Grober, Hajee, and Schissler managed the day-to-day operations of GHS and shared the decision-making authority over GHS’s acquisition and disposition of convertible notes during the relevant period. As a result, GHS violated and Grober, Hajee, and Schissler caused GHS’s violations of Section 15(a)(1) of the Exchange Act.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Shailesh Negandhi (Negandhi), previously associated with UBS Financial Services Inc., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory event, alleging that Negandhi recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on August 16, 2024.

For the sole purpose of resolving an investigation by the Texas State Securities Board, Shailesh Negandhi consented to the entry of this order. The TSSB found that Negandhi repeated a pattern of short – term trading in CEFs without a reasonable basis to do so and in violation of his firm’s policies. These violations constitute an inequitable practice in the sale of securities. Pursuant to Section 4007.105(a)(3)(A) of the Texas Securities Act, the aforementioned inequitable practice constitutes a basis for the issuance of an Order reprimanding and suspending Negandhi.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Matthew Valeri (Valeri), previously associated with Templeton/franklin Investment Services, inc., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory event, alleging that Valeri recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on August 19, 2024.

Violated section 517.310(1)(c), Florida Statutes, by knowingly and willfully concealing and covering-up material facts, and by knowingly and willfully making false statements of material facts in an application for registration.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker Christopher Cacace (Cacace), currently associated with J. Streicher & Co. L.l.c., has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory event. Several of those complaints against Cacace  concern allegations of high frequency trading activity also referred to as churning or excessive trading among other securities laws violations.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on August 15, 2024.

Christopher Cacace was named a respondent in a FINRA complaint alleging that while tasked as his member firm’s Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) he failed to reasonably supervise, investigate, and respond to red flags of churning, excessive trading, and unsuitable trading by registered representatives of the firm. The complaint alleges that Cacace never restricted or limited the trading by the firm representatives in their customers’ accounts or took any other meaningful steps to prevent their trading. Although the representatives had extensive regulatory histories and numerous customer complaints related to unsuitable trading, excessive trading, and/or churning, and were the subject of regulatory disclosures that indicated that they were under financial strain, Cacace failed to reasonably supervise them and enabled them to engage in potentially excessive and unsuitable trading, and this trading resulted in extensive customer harm. The firms’ customers incurred losses of $709,444 while the firm and its representatives obtained $546,855 in commissions, fees, and costs.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Todd Paradise (Paradise), previously associated with United Planners’ Financial Services of America A Limited Partner, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Paradise recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on August 15, 2024.

Client alleges investments were too risky and unsustainable.

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Marc Barton (Barton), currently associated with Newbridge Securities Corporation, has at least one disclosable event. These events include one regulatory event, alleging that Barton recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on August 15, 2024.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Barton consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he reused the signatures of 32 customers on a total of 48 documents, including the signatures of seven customers on twelve documents without the customers’ prior permission. The findings stated that the documents, which included new account applications, money transfer forms, and securities purchase documents, were required books and records of the firm. All of the transactions were authorized and none of the customers complained. In addition, Barton altered six documents after they were signed by six different customers. Barton also falsely attested on annual compliance questionnaires that he had not signed or affixed another person’s signature on a document.

Contact Information
Please enter your namePlease enter your valid emailPlease enter your phone
Powered by
logo image
Dark mode

Liveadmins