Summary:
On January 20, 2021, a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Hearing Officer barred Bryan G. Mazliach from the securities industry for:
FINRA has suspended financial advisor Christian Frank Lucchetto (CRD No. 4648994) from the securities industry for three months and fined him $5,000.
FINRA alleged that between January 2018 through May 2019, while employed by First Standard Financial Company in Red Bank, NJ, Frank Lucchetto excessively and unsuitably traded a customer’s account, in violation of FINRA Rules 2111 and 2010.
Mr. Lucchetto, who has ten years of experience in the securities industry, has been employed as a financial advisor at the following brokerage firms since 2011:
**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 Pay Nearly $2.7 Million for Supervisory Failures Related to Rampant Excessive and Unsuitable Trading
Customers of Aegis Capital, including customers that have been notified that they may be receiving restitution, should consult with a securities arbitration law firm. If you or a loved one were a customer of Aegis Capital, contact New York securities arbitration law firm Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential consultation and review of your legal rights.
**Update: April 15, 2021** On February 1, 2021, another customer of Steven Luftschein filed a securities arbitration complaint against Mr. Luftschein and Aegis Capital Corp. for recommending unsuitable investments. If you have suffered financial losses investing with Mr. Luftschein or Aegis Capital Corp, contact Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential review of your legal rights.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has barred financial advisor Ryan Ashley Raskin from the securities industry. Ryan Raskin was registered with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“Merrill Lynch”) in Beverly Hills, California, from May 2016 until May 2020. Merrill Lynch terminated Mr. Raskin’s employment on March 4, 2020, alleging that his business practices were inconsistent with Merrill Lynch’s standards. The business practices purportedly included inappropriate investment recommendations involving mutual funds.
According to public records, shortly after Mr. Raskin’s termination, a customer complained that Mr. Raskin engaged in unauthorized trading and churning of mutual funds and money funds from January 2018 until January 2020. Peculiarly, Merrill Lynch denied this customer’s complaint.
Investors should be aware that filing a complaint directly with a financial institution, like Merrill Lynch, is not the same as filing a securities arbitration complaint. If an investor is seeking monetary compensation, the investor must initiate a securities arbitration through FINRA Dispute Resolution Services.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has suspended Antonio Almeida from associating with any FINRA member in any capacity for three months. Mr. Almeida has been registered with Worden Capital Management LLC (“Worden Capital Management”) in Garden City, New York, since January 2020. Previously, from March 2014 through December 2017, he was registered with Aegis Capital Corp. in Melville, New York.
Separately, Iorio Altamirano LLP is currently investigating claims on behalf of Worden Capital Management customers after the firm was sanctioned more than $1.5 million by FINRA, including restitution, for making unsuitable recommendations and excessively trading customers’ accounts. A FINRA restitution order does not preclude investors from pursuing their own claims to seek restitution or other available remedies. Investors harmed by Worden Capital Management’s supervisory failures may have a claim against the firm. You can read more about it here.
If you have lost money with Worden Capital Management or Antonio Almeida, contact New York securities arbitration lawyers Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential review of your account.
FINRA has suspended Jason Collichio from associating with any FINRA member in any principal capacity for three months. Mr. Collichio has been registered with Worden Capital Management LLC (“WCM”) in Garden City, New York, since 2009. He has been registered as a principal with the firm since 2012. Mr. Collichio initially registered with FINRA in 2003.
Iorio Altamirano LLP is currently investigating claims on behalf of WCM customers after the firm was sanctioned more than $1.5 million by FINRA, including restitution, for making unsuitable recommendations and excessively trading customers’ accounts. A FINRA restitution order does not preclude investors from pursuing their own claims to seek restitution or other available remedies. Investors harmed by WCM’s supervisory failures may have a claim against the firm. You can read more about it here.
If you have lost money with WCM, contact New York securities arbitration lawyers Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential review of your account.
Investing your money is a great way to grow your wealth, save for retirement, and reach your financial goals. If you invest in the appropriate products, you can also receive income from investments, build on-pre-tax dollars, or reduce taxable income.
If you do not invest, you miss out on opportunities to increase your wealth. However, all investments carry risk, and when you invest, you have the potential to lose money.
There are many different types of investments. Some common types of investments include stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, money market funds, exchange-traded funds, and annuities. There are also more complex investment vehicles, such as real estate investment trusts (REITs), unit investment trusts (UITs), hedge funds, commodities, and private placements.
Iorio Altamirano LLP is investigating claims on behalf of Worden Capital Management LLC (“WCM”) customers after the firm was sanctioned more than $1.5 million by FINRA for making unsuitable recommendations and excessively trading customers’ accounts. If you have lost money with WCM, contact New York securities arbitration lawyers Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential evaluation of your account.
WCM and FINRA entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”) over allegations that between January 2015 and October 2019, WCM and its owner and CEO, Jaime Worden, violated FINRA rules. Specifically, that WCM and Mr. Worden:
When an investor suffers harm, including investment losses, due to misconduct by a financial advisor or broker-dealer, the investor can file a securities arbitration claim against their financial advisor and/or broker-dealer in an effort to be compensated. The case will be presented and defended in an arbitration proceeding to a panel of arbitrators instead of a court of law in front of a judge and jury.
Arbitration is the primary forum for resolving disputes between investors and brokerage firms or financial advisors because the parties have contractually agreed to use arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution process. When an investor opens an account with a broker-dealer, the investor is required to sign an array of account opening documents. These account opening documents regularly include an arbitration clause, which requires that arbitration be used as an alternative to litigation. This requirement is often a contractually binding obligation for both parties. As a result, disputes between investors and financial advisors or brokerage firms are resolved in arbitration as an alternative to court.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is authorized by Congress to regulate the financial services industry and operates the largest arbitration forum for securities disputes. Most securities arbitrations take place using FINRA’s Dispute Resolution Services’ arbitration forum because, as FINRA members, financial advisors and brokerage firms are required to arbitrate customer complaints upon the filing of a claim through FINRA.
Securities Arbitration Lawyer Blog