FINRA Disciplinary Actions

FINRA Suspends Walter Parker For Unsuitable Investments

August 13, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Broker Walter Parker (CRD #2131232) is a former registered broker and investment advisor last employed with Titan Securities, Inc. (CRD #131392) of Rowlett, TX. His previous employers include ING Financial Partners, Inc. (CRD #2882) of Wylie, TX, Locust Street Securities, Inc. (CRD #1703) of Des Moines, IA, and BMA Financial Services, Inc. (CRD #7943) of Kansas City, MO. No current employment information is available. Parker has been in the industry since 1991.

Lawrence-LaBine-Under-Fire-for-Alleged-Unsuitable-Recommendations-and-More-300x200 FINRA recently suspended Parker for one month, and fined him $7,500 related to his activities with a client’s accounts. Parker made a number of recommendations to a client that she immediately begin investing in “alternative investments.” This client had very little prior investing experience, particularly with alternative investments. She was 64 at the time the account was opened. He recommended that she invest $290,000 into four of these illiquid alternative investments from her retirement accounts, all REITs.

These investments concentrated a large percentage of her net worth into these illiquid alternative investments, and were totally unsuitable for the client’s investment objectives. Unfortunately, the client suffered significant losses from all four of these REITs, requiring her to seek and obtain fulltime employment in 2016.

Broker Stephen Sullivan Subject of 8 Disclosures

August 13, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Stephen Sullivan (CRD #3123249) is a broker currently registered with SW Financial (CRD #145012) of Melville, NY. His previous employers include Newbridge Securities Corporation (CRD #104065), Legend Securities, Inc. (CRD #44952) and Tryco Securities, Inc. (CRD #104025). Sullivan has worked in the industry since 1998, with a number of broker firms in New York State.

Picture1-2-300x150 Sullivan has 8 disclosures in his career, the first of which is a customer dispute filed on 5/7/2018. The client alleges Sullivan engaged in unsuitable transactions, excessive trading, and failure to supervise, requesting $540,618.00 in damages. Sullivan denies the allegations. In his response, Sullivan states that the client knew about all the transactions and authorized them before they were purchased. This case is currently pending.

In 2016, Sullivan was suspended by FINRA for 10 days and fined $5,000 for “exercising discretion” with two customer accounts without prior written authorization from the clients, and without written permission from the firm. He agreed to the sanctions, signed an Acceptance, Waiver & Consent (AWC) letter, paid the fine and was suspended from 03/07/2016 through 03/18/2016.

FINRA Bars Broker Scott Palmer

August 13, 2018 | Silver Law Group

FINRA has barred former financial advisor and broker Scott Palmer (CRD #817586) after multiple customer disputes. His last employer was Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC (CRD #463) of Hackensack, NJ, from 03/02/2007 to 06/13/2017. He was allowed to resign after “Loss of Confidence related to complaint disclosure history.”

Palmer is not currently registered as a broker or investment advisor, and no record of current employment is available. He is barred from any and all affiliations with any FINRA member firm, in any capacity.

Palmer was previously employed with:

FINRA Bars Broker John Maccoll After Fraud Allegations

August 10, 2018 | Silver Law Group

South-Florida-Broker-Brian-Michael-Berger-Permanently-Barred-by-FINRA-1024x683-300x200 Former UBS broker John Maccoll (CRD #839441) has been indefinitely barred from affiliation with any FINRA member in any capacity as of 07/02/2018.

His most recent employer was UBS Financial Services Inc. (CRD #8174) of Birmingham, MI. Previously, he was employed with Morgan Stanley DW Inc. (CRD #7556) of Purchase, NY, E. F. Hutto n & Company Inc. (CRD #235), Loeb Partners (CRD #7534) and Hornblower, Weeks, Noyes & Trask Incorporated (CRD #7394). No current employment information is available. Maccoll has been in the industry since 1977.

On 3/15/2018, UBS discharged Maccoll after he refused to cooperate with the firm’s investigation into allegations he misappropriated money from a client. He later disclosed that he had misappropriated money from a total of 13 clients.

FINRA Bars Gregory LeVine For Failure To Respond

August 10, 2018 | Silver Law Group

FINRA has barred former registered broker Gregory Alan LeVine (CRD #2401300) indefinitely on 04/09/2018, after he failed to respond to a request for information. LeVine is currently not registered with any FINRA member. His last employer was First Allied Advisory Services, (CRD #32444) of Fort Lauderdale, FL, where he is listed as currently employed, but not registered.

LeVine’s previous employers include:

Commonwealth Financial Network, (CRD #8032) of Fort Lauderdale, FL, from 05/22/2009 to 07/16/2012

FINRA Suspends Broker Brian Hussey Following Allegations Of Unsuitable Recommendations

August 10, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Brian John Hussey, Jr., (CRD #4640067) is a registered broker and investment advisor who is currently suspended by FINRA. His last (and only employer) is Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. (CRD #6363) of Tampa, FL. He has been in the industry since 2008.

Hussey’s suspension stems from a customer complaint on 9/23/2016 that he recommended unsuitable investments to a customer. The customer, who was also an administrative employee of Ameriprise, requested damages of $88,728.00. The firm settled for $67,019.24.

The customer alleges that Hussey unsuitably recommended that she liquidate two IRAs that she held which was the largest part of her liquid net worth, and invest in penny stocks focused on commercial marijuana. This was inconsistent with the client’s investment “growth” goals for both IRAs. The client lost most of her investments in these speculative securities.

FINRA Bars Broker Sean Brady For Possible Improper Sales Practices

August 8, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Former broker Sean Aaron Brady (CRD #4365173) has been barred by FINRA after multiple customer complaints and he was discharged by his employer. Brady was last employed by First Allied Securities, Inc. (CRD #32444) of St. Louis, MO, discharged on 10/20/2017. He was previously employed by FFP Securities, Inc. (CRD #16337), also of St. Louis, from 03/23/2001 through 05/30/2008. No current employment information is available.

Brady is the subject of six customer disputes, which share similar allegations:

Misrepresentation of net worth

SEC Charges Former Broker Steven Pagartanis For – Banned by FINRA

July 31, 2018 | Silver Law Group

The SEC has filed criminal charges against former broker Steven Pagartanis (CRD #1958879). These charges involve defrauding his long-time customers into investing in his own company, a security that was not sold by his firm. He promised his customers that the funds would give them guarantee interest payments. Pagartanis was, in reality, using the money for personal expenses and making “interest payments” out of that account. He created fictitious account statements for his customers to show “ownership.” When he stopped making the payments and complaints were filed, it became clear that he was not operating ethically.

Frederick-Monroe-16-year-Financial-Advisor-Permanently-Barred-by-FINRA-300x200 In addition to SEC charges, he has also been barred by FINRA from acting as a broker or other registered agent after his customers complained about these unapproved investments. Pagartanis’ last employer of record was Lombard Securities Incorporated (CRD #27954) in Seatauket, NY, where he worked from 09/07/2017 through 03/17/2018.

Pagartanis was a broker for 28 years. His previous employers include:

Silver Law Group is Investigating Samuel Haddix of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

July 27, 2018 | Silver Law Group

Samuel Haddix (CRD #4427350) is barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. Respondent failed to request termination of his suspension within three months of the date of the Notice of Suspension; therefore, he is automatically barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity.

Samuel Haddix was registered with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.’s Memphis, Tennessee branch until January 2017 when he was discharged for noncompliance relating to selling away and outside business activities.

Contact Our Firm if You’ve Invested with Samuel Haddix

Silver Law Group is Investigating David Olson of Morgan Stanley

July 26, 2018 | Silver Law Group

David Olson (CRD #1700644) was barred from association with any FINRA member in all capacities. Without admitting or denying the findings, Olson consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he refused to provide complete documents and information requested by FINRA during an investigation into allegations that he was involved in an undisclosed outside business activity, and that he solicited a loan from a customer of his member firm for that outside business activity.

David Olson was with Morgan Stanley’s St. Petersburg, Florida office until January 2017 when he was discharged after an allegation he engaged in an outside business that was not presented to Morgan Stanley for approval and Olson solicited a loan from a client for that venture. This is frequently referred to as selling away.

Contact Our Firm if You’ve Invested with David Olson