Paul Renard (Renard) a broker with SII Investments, Inc. (SII) was recently suspended for two years and fined $60,000 by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over allegations that Renard: (1) recommended that at least four customers buy and hold nontraditional ETFs without having reasonable grounds for believing that the…
Broker Joseph Anthony Giordano (Giordano) was recently barred from the financial industry by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over allegations that he participated in the distribution of unregistered debentures issued by Empire Corporation, a Maryland corporation (Empire Debentures) to customers of Capital Investment Group, Inc. (CIG). FINRA alleged that…
Advisor Thomas Mikolasko, (Mikolasko) of HFP Capital Markets LLC (HFP) was recently suspended and fined by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over allegations that Mikolasko engaged in the sale of $3 million in Senior Secured Zero Coupon Notes sold to 58 customers of HFP for Metals Millings and Mining…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) recently sanctioned Source Capital Group (Source Capital) registered representatives Kevin Cline (Cline), Robert Burr (Burr), Vincent Christopher (Christopher), and Thomas Gilleland (Gilleland). FINRA’s findings concerned allegations that the brokers failed to adequately disclose material facts and made sales through misstatements in oil and gas…
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently found that broker Jason Konner (Konner) churned the brokerage account of James Carlson (Carlson). The SEC decision ordered Konner to: (1) cease and desist from committing fraud; (2) be barred from association with a broker, dealer, investment adviser, (3) disgorge $55,000 plus prejudgment…
David G. Zeng (Zeng) was recently barred from the financial industry by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over allegations that the broker failed to respond to the regulator’s inquiries concerning at least a dozen customer disputes initiated against the broker. The customer complaints against Zeng include claims of misrepresentations,…
How do you know if you have been the victim of securities fraud? The answer to this question usually begins with the feeling that something is not right with your investments. Maybe your broker is all of a sudden dodging your calls or having their subordinate answer their calls. Perhaps…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) filed a civil enforcement action on October 18, 2013 against Bambi Holzer, a formerly registered broker and investment advisor in Beverly Hills, California. FINRA alleged in its complaint that between February and March 2008, Holzer, then a broker at Wedbush Securities, Inc. in Los…
On September 30, 2013, FINRA filed an amended complaint against John Carris Investments LLC (JCI), its founder George Carris and others. In the complaint, FINRA alleges JCI engaged in: stock manipulation, unsuitable self-offerings of securities, operating a securities business without sufficient net capital, use of firm funds to pay the…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) suspended broker Anthony Mediate (Mediate) for 60 days concerning allegations of excessive trading (churning) and unauthorized trading. “Churning” is excessive investment trading activity that serves little useful purpose or is inconsistent with the investor’s objectives and is conducted solely to generate commissions for the…