On November 8, 2021, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and Aegis Capital Corp. (“Aegis Capital”) entered into Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent No. 2016051704305 (the “AWC”). After conducting an investigation, FINRA alleged in the AWC that from July 2014 through December 2018, Aegis Capital failed to establish, maintain,…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has suspended stockbroker Leonard Marzocco from the securities industry. Mr. Marzocco consented to the suspension after FINRA alleged that between June 2019 and December 2019, while associated with Woodstock Financial Group, Inc. (“Woodstock Financial Group”), Mr. Marzocco excessively and unsuitable traded a customer’s account,…
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has barred a former Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. stockbroker from the securities industry for refusing to cooperate with a FINRA investigation into whether he, among other things, exercised discretion without written authorization in a customer’s account. The investigation was launched after Cambridge Investment Research,…
FINRA has suspended former LPL Financial LLC broker Michael Miles Hartlett from the securities industry for ten business days. Hartlett consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he exercised discretionary trading authority in a customer’s accounts without having obtained prior written authorization of the customer. Hartlett’s…
FINRA has barred former LPL Financial LLC broker Eric Shea Hollifield from the securities industry. Hollifield consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he refused to appear for on-the-record testimony or to produce the documents and information requested by FINRA in connection with its investigation into…
David Gentile, the disgraced founder of GPB Capital Holdings LLC, who is facing criminal and civil fraud charges, is seeking to obtain millions of dollars from GPB. Despite being accused of running a Ponzi-like scheme when he was running GPB Capital, Mr. Gentile is asking for court-supervised mediation to obtain…
FINRA has fined Merrill Lynch $1.5 million over its alleged breach of supervisory and disclosure-related rules involving short positions in municipal securities. The firm was censured, fined, and required to certify that its supervisory systems and written procedures are reasonably designed to achieve compliance with Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB)…
FINRA has barred former Vorpahl Wing Securities broker Lee Nordstrom from the securities industry. Nordstrom consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he refused to appear for on-the-record testimony requested by FINRA during the course of an investigation into whether he engaged in potential unsuitable and…
FINRA has barred former PFS Investments Inc. broker Jeffrey Dampf from the securities industry. Dampf consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he refused to provide on-the-record testimony or to produce the documents and information requested by FINRA in connection with its investigation into allegations that…
FINRA has barred former Wells Fargo broker Courtney Michelle Kaplan from the securities industry. Kaplan consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that she refused to provide documents and information requested by FINRA during an investigation into allegations made in a Form U5 amendment filed by Wells…