Articles Posted in Stockbroker Misconduct

FINRA requested comments on its proposed rule to limit registered representatives from being “named as a customer’s beneficiary or holding a position of trust for or on behalf of a customer.” Silver Law Group, a nationally-recognized investor rights law firm, has submitted a comment letter to FINRA that states our…

Matthew Crafa (Matthew William Crafa) (CRD#: 3114277), a currently-registered broker with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc (CRD#: 23131) in Garden City, New York, is the subject of 2 disclosures on his publicly-available FINRA BrokerCheck report, which are both customer disputes. Mr, Crafa allegedly sold GPB to many residents in Boca Raton,…

Robert Montes (Robert Frederico Montes) (CRD#: 835488), a barred broker formerly with Morgan Stanley (CRD#: 149777) in Palm Harbor, Florida, is the subject of 4 disclosures on his BrokerCheck report. Montes has been in the industry since 1977. Before joining Morgan Stanley, he worked for Wells Fargo Advisors (CRD#: 19616),…

Demos Argyros (CRD#: 1325219), a currently-registered broker working for Oppenheimer & Co. (CRD# 249) in St. Louis, Missouri, is the subject of 5 disclosures on his FINRA BrokerCheck report. Argyros has been in the industry since 1985 and was previously registered at CIBC World Markets Corp. (CRD#: 630), Kemper Securities…

Steven Reznic (a/k/a Steven Paul Reznik, Steve Reznik) (CRD#: 1067199), a previously-registered broker who last worked for Raymond James Financial Services (CRD#: 6694) at their Tallahassee, Florida branch, is the subject of a remarkable 24 disclosures on his publicly-available FINRA BrokerCheck report. Reznic has been in the industry since 1982.…

Michael Carter (Michael Barry Carter CRD# 1373405) is a barred broker who was formerly registered with Morgan Stanley (CRD# 149777) out of their McLean, Virginia branch office. He had previously worked for Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. (CRD# 6363) in Vienna, Virginia. Carter had been in the securities industry since 1999.…

Stefan Pastor (Stefan Anton Pastor) (CRD: #5141819) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose last employer was Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (CRD# 6694) of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Pastor was also dually registered with Raymond James and Provenance Wealth Advisors during this period. His previous employers include Walnut…

James Thomas Booth Of LPL Financial Barred From Securities Industry For Operating Ponzi Scheme James Thomas Booth (CRD# 1906145), the founder of Booth Financial Associates and a registered representative with LPL Financial LLC in Norwalk, Connecticut has been permanently barred by the both the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and…

Roger Owens (CRD# 2359204), a broker previously employed by Cetera Advisors LLC in Elkton, Maryland, has been suspended by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) from acting as a broker. Owens worked for Cetera for the past decade. Owens began in the industry in 1994. His problems began when he…

Ricky Mantei (CRD# 1098981), a broker with Centaurus Financial, Inc. in Lexington, South Carolina is facing nine pending customer disputes as well as two regulatory disputes. Mantei has been with Centaurus since 2015, where he moved from the infamous J.P. Turner & Company, a firm that has since been shut…