According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for September 2021, the following individuals were barred from FINRA and cannot currently work for a FINRA brokerage firm for failing to provide FINRA with information it requested or to keep information current with FINRA pursuant to FINRA rules:
| NAME |
FORMER EMPLOYERS |
| John Barrett |
Emerson Equity LLC |
| Lincoln Financial Advisors Corproation |
| Amanda Berry |
MML Investors Services, LLC |
| NYLife Securities LLC |
| Michael Bramlett |
Country Capital Management Company |
| Christopher Fisher |
PFS Investments Inc. |
| Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. |
| Berhane Kassahun |
AXA Advisors, LLC |
| MSI Financial Services, Inc. |
| Christy McWilliams |
Jackson National Life Distributors LLC |
| Kevin Nevin |
Dempsey Lord Smith, LLC |
| Sandlapper Securities, LLC |
| Antoine Rogers |
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
| Alfredo Vazquez |
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
| David Villarreal III |
U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. |
| Morgan Stanley |
| Jonathan Ward |
State Farm VP Management Corp. |
FINRA makes this information available, in part, to inform investors about potential red flags or problems with certain stockbrokers. If you invested with anyone in this report and have questions about your legal rights, our attorneys will talk with you at no cost to explain your legal rights and about how we can help recover your investment losses through securities arbitration or litigation.
FINRA Rule 8210 allows FINRA’s enforcement attorneys the authority to investigate matters under its regulatory purview. FINRA Rule 8210 requires a stockbroker or other registered person of the request to provide documents or information “with respect to any matter in [an] investigation, complaint, examination or proceeding.”
The subject matter of a FINRA investigation or inquiry can include almost anything relating to the brokerage industry or the financial advisor’s activities. FINRA regulatory rules allow for broad authority to investigate violations of FINRA’s rules and regulations including, Rule 2010 (a FINRA member “shall observe high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade”). Under Rule 2010 FINRA can seek any documents or other information that FINRA believes is relevant to its inquiry. In 2013, FINRA announced in a regulatory notice that the scope of Rule 8210 had been clarified, stating that “all aspects of the relationship between a broker-dealer and its associated persons are potentially the subject of a Rule 8210 request.”
Securities Arbitration Claims Against Barred Brokers
Even after a broker is barred from the industry or otherwise faces disciplinary action, investors can still pursue stockbroker misconduct claims against their financial advisor and/or their brokerage firms. Financial Advisors who have engaged in misconduct or otherwise violated FINRA rules or regulations frequently surrender their license rather than cooperate in a FINRA investigation. In the past, FINRA has barred brokers from the industry for participating in Ponzi schemes, elder financial fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and other misconduct. While a bar from the securities industry can be a powerful piece of evidence for investors pursuing FINRA arbitration claims against their advisors and/or their brokerage firms, investors should work with experienced securities and investment fraud attorneys to help maximize their recovery.
FINRA arbitration is separate and distinct from FINRA’s regulatory obligations. In our experience, FINRA regulatory focuses on punishing the wrongdoers but rarely results in compensation for the victims. For investors who have been defrauded by a financial advisor or others, FINRA arbitration is frequently the best place to secure a recover for losses.
Silver Law Group represents investors in securities and investment fraud cases through FINRA arbitration or court. Our lawyers are admitted to practice in New York and Florida and represent investors nationwide in securities arbitration to help recover investment losses due to stockbroker misconduct. If you have any questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney. Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.
Securities Arbitration Lawyers Blog
Daniel O’Neil and Douglas Szempruch, two brokers working for Aegis Capital Corp. (CRD#:15007) in Melville, NY, have faced disciplinary action FINRA after both were separately involved in improper activities.