Raymond James & Associates

Broker Peter Barry in Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Firm Has Customer Complaint

March 19, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Currently financial advisor Peter Barry (Barry), currently employed by brokerage firm Raymond James & Associates, Inc. has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $1,428,201.00 on September 17, 2024.

Claimants allege FA invested them in an unsuitable and high-risk portfolio that included alternative investments, micro-cap and small-cap securities, and REITs; improperly held bonds and other fixed-income securities for short periods; improperly concentrated them in certain investments; engaged in poor cash management; improperly recommended a securities-backed line of credit to them; and charged excessive fees and commissions.

Broker Eva Ovejero in Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Firm Has Customer Complaint

March 18, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Eva Ovejero (Ovejero), currently associated with Raymond James & Associates, Inc., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint, alleging that Ovejero 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 $3,275,000.00 on September 23, 2024.

Client’s attorney alleges, inter alia, that by way of negligence, misrepresentation, and a breach of fiduciary duty, the client was induced to invest with a third-party in investments managed and held away from Morgan Stanley.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Jordan Mclendon in Firm Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

March 4, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Jordan Mclendon (Mclendon), previously associated with Raymond James & Associates, Inc., has at least one disclosable event. These events include one tax lien, alleging that Mclendon recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on February 12, 2025.

Without admitting or denying the findings, McLendon consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he refused to provide documents and information requested by FINRA as a part of its investigation into the circumstances giving rise to a Form U5 filed by his member firm stating that he was discharged following provision of falsified documentation, failure to cooperate in internal review, and lack of candor.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Michael Magruder in Firm Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

February 12, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Michael Magruder (Magruder), previously associated with Raymond James & Associates, Inc., has at least 4 disclosable events. These events include 2 customer complaints, 2 regulatory, alleging that Magruder recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on January 31, 2025.

Respondent Magruder failed to comply with an arbitration award or settlement agreement or to satisfactorily respond to a FINRA request to provide information concerning the status of compliance.

Broker James Hart in Raymond James & Associates, Inc. Firm Has Customer Complaint

February 6, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker James Hart (Hart), currently associated with Raymond James & Associates, Inc., has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. Several of those complaints against Hart 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 June 13, 2024.

Client’s guardian alleges client’s account is not being managed in the best interests of an elderly client and or is being charged excessive fees.

Financial Advisor John Nelson Crook Receives Alleged Unauthorized Trading Complaints

July 17, 2017 | by Staff Attorney

Our firm is investigating customer disclosure claims concerning broker John Nelson Crook (Crook). Crook’s FINRA BrokerCheck record shows several disclosures of allegations concerning churning (excessive trading, unauthorized trading, unsuitability, and breach of fiduciary duty. His BrokerCheck records also show a disclosure concerning an employment separation after allegations.

In July 2015, Crook was discharged from Raymond James & Associates Inc due to the findings that that the financial advisor allegedly did not respond in a timely manner to a supervisory review of trading activity. In addition, Crook allegedly did not provide a legitimate explanation for the trading activity in a certain client’s account, which lead to his termination from the firm in July 2015.

The most recent customer complaint against Crook was received in November 2015.During the period between August 2006 and June 2015, Crook allegedly engaged in excessive and unauthorized trading. Crook allegedly also recommended unsuitable investment products to his client, fraudulently misrepresented, and breached his fiduciary duty. The alleged damages are worth over $4 Million and the case is currently pending.

Broker Todd Douglas Ryman Subject to Multiple Customer Complaints

June 8, 2017 | by Staff Attorney

Gana Weinstein LLP’s investment fraud attorneys are investigating multiple customer disputes filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) again broker Todd Douglas Ryman (Ryman). According to Ryman’s FINRA BrokerCheck records, there are several disclosures on his record pertaining to unauthorized trading, unsuitable trading, misrepresentation of material facts, amongst other allegations.

Ryman entered the securities industry in 1995 and currently employed at Suntrust Investment Services, Inc. since February 2017. He was previously employed at:

• Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (September 2016 – February 2017)

SEC Charged 36 Brokerage Firms Over Municipal Bond Offerings

August 12, 2015 | by Staff Attorney

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced enforcement actions against 36 municipal bond underwriting brokerage firms for material misstatements and omissions in municipal bond offering documents. The SEC offered favorable settlement terms to municipal bond underwriters and issuers who self-reported securities law violations leading to the settlements.

The SEC alleged that between 2010 and 2014, 36 brokerage and financial firms violated federal securities laws by selling municipal bonds using offering documents that contained materially false statements or omissions about the bond issuers’ compliance with their obligation to disclosure. The firms were also alleged by the SEC to have failed to conduct adequate due diligence to identify the misstatements and omissions before offering and selling the bonds to their customers.

The municipal bond market is a $3.7 trillion market. Continuing disclosure provides municipal bond investors with information about the solvency and financial fitness of issuers on an ongoing basis. The SEC had previously identified issuers’ failure to comply with their continuing disclosure obligations as being a major challenge for investors seeking up to date information about their municipal bond holdings.