**Update: November 8, 2021** On April 15, 2021, FINRA’s Department of Enforcement filed disciplinary proceeding No. 2019063626703 against former Joseph Stone Capital broker Abdul Rahmani. On October 28, 2021, Mr. Rahmani submitted an Offer of Settlement to FINRA’s Department of Enforcement. On November 2, 2021, FINRA’s Department of Enforcement and…
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Dawson James Securities, Inc. Sanctioned by FINRA for Charging Customers Excessive Commissions
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has sanctioned Dawson James Securities, Inc. (“Dawson James”) for charging customers excessive commissions. On April 6, 2021, FINRA and Dawson James entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”) whereby Dawson James accepted the following sanctions: a censure; a $20,000 fine; and…
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. Trader, Riaz Haidri, Suspended for Disclosing a Customer’s Confidential Trading Strategy to Another Customer
FINRA has suspended a Senior Managing Director at Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Riaz Haidri, for three weeks for disclosing confidential information regarding a customer’s trading strategy and later confirming the customer’s identity to another customer. Mr. Haidri was the co-head of Cantor Fitzgerald’s high yield fixed income trading desk at…
Investigative Report: Iorio Altamirano LLP Investigation into Joseph Stone Capital L.L.C. Reveals Troubling Pasts for Owners, Executives, and Brokers
This post is part of a series of investigative blog posts that spotlight modern-day boiler rooms that operate under the guise of a reputable brokerage firm. Many of the broker-dealers featured in this series still use boiler room tactics such as cold-calling customers and high-pressure or aggressive sales tactics. Other…
Aegis Capital Fined and Censured by FINRA
**Update: November 11, 2021** On November 8, 2021, Aegis Capital Corp agreed to pay nearly $2.7 million in sanctions for supervisory failures related to excessive and unsuitable trading by its brokers from July 2014 through December 2018. Click on the following link to read more: Aegis Capital Corp. Ordered to…
Great Nation Investment Corporation President and CEO, Bryon Pat Treat, BARRED by FINRA – Amarillo, Texas
FINRA has barred Great Nation Investment Corporation President, and CEO Bryon Pat Treat from the securities industry. Mr. Treat has been barred from associating with any FINRA member firm in any capacity because he refused to provide information and documents connected with FINRA’s investigation into whether he reasonably supervised the…
Broker Spotlight: Daniel T. Lerner of David Lerner Associates, Inc. Facing Three Pending Securities Arbitration Complaints – White Plains, New York
**Update: 4/19/21** In March 2021 another customer filed a securities arbitration complaint against Daniel Todd Lerner and David Lerner Associates, Inc. The customer has alleged over $515,000 in damages as a result of unsuitable investment recommendations related to Energy 11 and an unspecific mutual fund (possibly, SOAEX). The complaint alleged…
At Least Twenty-Four Customers Have Filed Securities Arbitration Complaints Against Robinhood Financial, LLC
Here is how you can file a claim to recover losses suffered from trading restrictions placed on GameStop, AMC, Blackberry, Nokia, and other stocks. On February 12, 2021, in a letter addressed to Senator Elizabeth Warren, Robinhood Financial, LLC confirmed twenty-four (24) pending securities arbitrations. Robinhood’s letter was written in…
Broker Spotlight: Michael Hernandez of Arive Capital Markets – Brooklyn, New York
Michael Joseph Hernandez is a stockbroker with Arive Capital Markets LLC (“Arive Capital Markets”) in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Hernandez has a history of associations with disreputable broker-dealers and at least one customer complaint, employment termination, and regulatory sanction. If you have lost money with broker Michael Hernandez or Arive…
Investigative Report: Iorio Altamirano LLP Investigation into Arive Capital Markets Reveals Troubling Pasts for Owners, Executives, and Brokers
This post is the first in a series of investigative blog posts that spotlight modern-day boiler rooms that operate under the guise of a reputable brokerage firm. Many of the broker-dealers featured in this series still use boiler room tactics such as cold-calling customers and high pressure or aggressive sales…