Articles Posted in FINRA Arbitration

Boca Raton, Florida – Fraudulent Day Trading Scheme FINRA Arbitration and Litigation Attorney:

SEC Charges Unregistered Broker in Tampa Area With Stealing From Investors in Fraudulent Day Trading Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently charged an unregistered broker living outside Tampa, Fla., with stealing investor funds as part of a fraudulent day trading scheme.

SEC Order Approving FINRA Rule Change Relative to How Member Firms are Required to Calculate the Value of Unlisted Real Estate Investment Trusts and Direct-Participation Programs:

The Sec has approved FINRA’s plan to overhaul how member firms calculate the value of unlised real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) and direct-participation programs (“DPPs”).  Under the new rules – specifically FINRA Rule 2310 – the firms will be required to include on customer account statements a per-share estimated value for any unlisted REIT and DPP securities that they have reason to believe is reliable.  

Firms also will need to make new disclsoures about the nature of the investment, including that they are not traded on a public securities exchange and that the price that the investor receives may be less than the estimated per-shre value.  

Bradley Thomas Badger – Boca Raton, Florida Account Executive Unapproved Outside Business Activity FINRA Arbitration and Litigation Attorney

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) is a self-regulatory authority assigned the responsibility, by the Securities and Exchange Commission, to license, regulate and discipline securities broker/dealers and their employees, including account executives. In the event that FINRA elects to institute an enforcement action, firms and licensed individuals have the responsibility to reflect such action on their U-4 and/or U-5 filings, which can be viewed on the FINRA website under the broker-check section of the site or by viewing the monthly disciplinary information also provided on the FINRA site.

The monthly disciplinary information is referenced on the FINRA site generally in alphabetical order. This post relates to the following company or individuals. If the reader would like to review the entire FINRA release or the broker-check information concerning this matter, you can follow these highlighted links:

Luciano Andres Battioli – Boca Raton, Florida Account Executive Conversion and Theft FINRA Arbitration and Litigation Attorney

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) is a self-regulatory authority assigned the responsibility, by the Securities and Exchange Commission, to license, regulate and discipline securities broker/dealers and their employees, including account executives. In the event that FINRA elects to institute an enforcement action, firms and licensed individuals have the responsibility to reflect such action on their U-4 and/or U-5 filings, which can be viewed on the FINRA website under the broker-check section of the site or by viewing the monthly disciplinary information also provided on the FINRA site.

The monthly disciplinary information is referenced on the FINRA site generally in alphabetical order. This post relates to the following company or individuals. If the reader would like to review the entire FINRA release or the broker-check information concerning this matter, you can follow these highlighted links:

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Oscar F. Villarreal, Civil Action No. 14-cv-01891

Former Cleveland-Area Investment Promoter Oscar F. Villarreal Indicted

On September 16, 2014, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio obtained a Grand Jury indictment charging Oscar F. Villarreal with ten counts of wire fraud, seven counts of money laundering, one count of securities fraud, and one count of investment adviser fraud.

Patrick G. Rooney, John R. Rooney and Positron Corporation – Boca Raton, Florida Market Manipulation and Investment Fraud Litigation and Arbitration Attorney

SEC v. Patrick G. Rooney, John R. Rooney, and Positron Corporation, Civil Action No. 9:14-cv-81224-KAM (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida)

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on September 30, 2014 it filed a civil injunctive action charging Positron Corporation, a microcap company based in Westmont, Ill., Patrick G. Rooney of Oak Brook, Ill., the company’s then-CEO, and John R. Rooney of Jupiter, Fla., a penny stock promoter, for orchestrating a market manipulation scheme involving the company’s stock.

Mutual Fund Unsuitability and Breach of Fiduciary Duty – Boca Raton, Florida FINRA Arbitration and Litigation Attorney.

A mutual fund is a fund operated by an investment company that raises money from shareholders and invests in bonds, options, currencies, money market securities, futures, or stocks.  Mutual funds are offered by prospectus.  The prospectus describes, among other things, the investment objectives of the mutual fund, the types of investments within the fund, the investment strategies utilized by the fund managers and the risks associated therewith.

Mutual funds offer investors the advantages of diversification and professional management.  A management fee is charged for these services, typically between 0.5% and 2% of assets per year.  Funds also levy other fees such as a 12B-1, exchange fees and other administrative charges.  Funds that are sold through brokers are called load funds and those sold to investors directly from the fund companies are called no-load funds.  Mutual fund shares are redeemable on demand at net asset value by shareholders.

Affinity and Elder Financial Abuse and Exploitation Fraud, Misrepresentation and Theft – Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach and Deerfield Beach, Florida Litigation and Arbitration Attorney:

SEC Announces Cases Targeting International Pyramid Scheme Operators

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced charges against the operators of an international pyramid scheme that raised more than $129 million from investors worldwide, primarily in the U.S., China, and Taiwan. The case follows another against a separate pyramid scheme that lured investors in the U.S., China, and Korea with seminars, webinars, and YouTube videos.

Annuity and Insurance Fraud and Misrepresentation – Elder Financial Abuse and Exploitation Litigation and Arbitration Attorney:

SEC Charges Four Insurance Agents in Securities Fraud Targeting Elderly Investors

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently announced charges against four insurance agents for unlawfully selling securities in what turned out to be a multi-million dollar offering fraud targeting elderly investors.

Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Lantana, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach, Florida Elder Financial Abuse and Exploitation Litigation and FINRA Arbitration Attorney:

SEC Charges Virginia-Based Broker With Stealing Funds From Elderly Customers

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently charged a broker based in Roanoke, Va., with defrauding elderly customers, including some who are legally blind, by stealing their funds for her personal use and falsifying their account statements to cover up her fraud.

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