What You Need to Know: On July 31, 2024, the SEC announced that it had reached an agreement with Western International Securities and five of its registered representatives to settle an ongoing lawsuit arising out of the sale of high-risk and speculative L Bonds issued by the now-bankrupt GWG Holdings,…
Iorio Altamirano LLP and its experienced GWG Holdings L Bonds attorneys continue to investigate and file claims against Centaurus Financial for its sale of risky and speculative GWG L Bonds to mom-and-pop investors. The law firm’s investigation is ongoing after two separate FINRA arbitration panels awarded investors damages in connection…
**Update: November 1, 2023** On October 13, 2023, the GWG Wind Down Trust sold two of its four assets for only approximately $10.5 million. The GWG Wind Down Trust sold its largest tangible asset, its portfolio of life insurance policies, realizing only $10 million in cash. In addition, on October…
An elderly couple in their upper 80s filed a FINRA arbitration claim against David Lerner Associates, Inc. (“David Lerner Associates”) to recover losses and damages of up to $1 million. The couple, represented by securities arbitration law firm Iorio Altamirano LLP, alleges that David Lerner Associates recommended an unsuitable investment…
Introduction When disputes arise between investors and brokerage firms, they are usually resolved through arbitration. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) offers a streamlined and cost-effective dispute resolution forum for resolving disputes in the securities industry. In this blog post, we’ll take a deep dive into FINRA arbitration, its key…
On June 20, 2023, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas entered an Order confirming GWG’s Further Modified Second Joint Chapter 11 Plan (the “Chapter 11 Plan”). GWG has disclosed that they are targeting July 31, 2023, as the effective date for the Plan. As part…
On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Jeffrey Lash, a former executive of GPB Capital Holdings, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in federal court in Brooklyn, NY. In 2021, a federal grand jury brought criminal charges against Lash, David Gentile (founder and owner of GPB Capital), and a third…
In a recent regulatory case, on May 5, 2023, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Office of Hearing Officers imposed sanctions on Centaurus Financial, Inc. and its financial advisor Donnie Ingram for engaging in unsuitable and unethical practices, as well as supervisory failures. Centaurus Financial, Inc. was censured and ordered…
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced a whistleblower award of roughly $279 million to a whistleblower who provided information to the SEC, leading to a successful regulatory enforcement action by the SEC and another federal agency. This is the largest amount the SEC has ever awarded to a whistleblower,…
Iorio Altamirano LLP, a securities arbitration law firm based in New York, NY, is investigating potential securities arbitration claims against Western International Securities, Inc. and its Pennsylvania-based broker, Heath Goldstein, for its sale of L Bonds issued by GWG Holdings, Inc. Western International Securities was part of a network of…