Prime Capital Services

The investment attorneys of Gana Weinstein LLP are interested in speaking with clients of Scott Aabel (Aabel). According to the BrokerCheck records kept by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Aabel has been the subject of at least 10 customer complaints, one regulatory event, three judgment or liens, and three financial disclosures. The customer complaints against Aabel allege securities law violations that claim unsuitable investments and misrepresentations among other claims involving mostly variable annuity products.

In June 2009, a customer filed a complaint alleging $71,873 in damages stemming from a loss of a living benefit rider for an annuity contract. In September 2007, a customer complained that the performance and fees for a variable annuity were misrepresented to the customer leading to losses of $13,595.

Also in April 2012, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation Division of Securities filed an administrative complaint against Aabel alleging violations of the state’s code and imposed a fine of $70,000.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) recently sanctioned Ameriprise Financial Services (Ameriprise) broker Michael Hainsworth (Hainsworth) concerning allegations that the broker made certain misrepresentations and unbalanced statements in the sale of non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) by sending emails to potential investors that failed to provide a sound basis for evaluating the facts.

Hainsworth has been a broker in the securities industry since 1994. From 2007 through June 2009 Hainsworth was associated with Prime Capital Services, Inc. Thereafter, he was associated with brokerage firm Securities America, Inc. from July 2009 through September 2011. Finally, he was associated with Ameriprise from May 2009, through April 2012. Thereafter, Ameriprise filed a Form U5 Uniform Termination Notice stating that Hainsworth had been terminated from Ameriprise.

FINRA alleged that between May and October 2010, Hainsworth sent emails regarding a REIT to four potential investors. FINRA found that the emails were misleading and failed to provide a sound basis for evaluating the facts of the investment. In one email, Hainsworth stated that “My recommendation is to take $50,000 out of the market in your Trust account and $50,000 out of your IRA and allocate it to the…REIT…This pays 6.25 and matures Dec 3lst, 2015.”

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