Diego Fernando Hernandez (Hernandez) was recently barred from the financial industry by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) concerning allegations that he failed to disclose outside business activities, a practice known in the industry as “selling away” and misused customer funds. Hernandez entered the securities industry in May 1998. In…
Robert Gist (Gist) was recently fined $5.4 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and barred from association with any broker-dealer by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Gist has been accused by both regulators of converting the funds of at least 30 customers in order to pay personal…
You read about investment scams, but you never think it can happen to someone like you. We have all read about the Bernie Madoffs and Allen Stanfords of the world. Unsuspecting investors duped into some of the largest ponzi schemes in the world. You think to yourself that it can…
Darrell G. Frazier (Frazier) was recently barred from the securities industry by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over allegations that Frazier made fraudulent statements in the sales of variable annuities. Frazier is also alleged to have made unsuitable variable annuity sale recommendations to customers. Frazier first became registered with…
Avvo is a free website that helps consumers review attorneys and also provides an expert-only question and answer forum where people can ask legal questions. Launched in 2007, Avvo has developed a rating scale for lawyers based upon a proprietary algorithm. Recently Avvo ranked Adam Gana a “10/10” for his…
Gana Weinstein LLP’s Adam Gana was quoted today in a Reuters article exploring the investing habits of several attorneys who prosecute securities fraud cases against brokerage firms and individuals. Having seen many investments go sour through unforeseen risks and failure to disclose, the attorneys featured stated that they tended to…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) recently released a report detailing the American public’s susceptibility to financial fraud. The Financial Fraud Research Center estimated that fraud costs the American people over $50 billion a year without including the cost of efforts to prevent and prosecute fraud. The report entitled, Financial…
Conrad Tambalo Bautista (Bautista) resolved charges brought by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) concerning the sale of private securities and possible involvement in a fraudulent investment scheme by accepting a bar from the securities industry. Bautista has been associated with seven FINRA member firms including his most recent employer,…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), VSR Financial Services, Inc. (“VSR”), and Donald J. Beary (“Beary”) have reached a settlement concerning charges brought by the securities regulator that VSR violated customer concentration guidelines and otherwise failed to reasonably supervise its brokers in the sales of alternative investments. The settlement led…
Jonathan G. Sorensen (Sorensen) has been barred by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) after he failed to respond to the agency’s inquiries concerning an investigation concerning the possible misuse of customer funds in his management of limited partnership investment fund. Sorensen first became registered with FINRA on September 9,…