A National Securities Arbitration & Investment Fraud Law Firm

Articles Posted in Stockbroker Misconduct

|

Jordan Whitacre (Jordan David Whitacre CRD# 5828900) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose most recent employer was Arkadios Capital (CRD#:282710) of Anderson, SC. His previous employers were Triad Advisors LLC (CRD#:25803) and The Investment Center, Inc. (CRD#:17839), also of Anderson. He has been in the industry since 2011. Whitacre has three disclosures: two from his previous employers and one disciplinary action from FINRA. Wealth Management Advisors placed Whitacre on leave while the firm investigated allegations that he misdirected client funds for his own personal use. During this leave period, he became employed by Arkadios Capital. However, when Arkadios discovered the leave and the reasons behind it, they contacted Wealth Management Advisors and were notified of the “confirmatory findings from the internal review.” Both firms terminated Whitacre on 7/16/2021 based on these findings.Jordan Whitacre (Jordan David Whitacre CRD# 5828900) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose most recent employer was Arkadios Capital (CRD#:282710) of Anderson, SC. His previous employers were Triad Advisors LLC (CRD#:25803) and The Investment Center, Inc. (CRD#:17839), also of Anderson. He has been in the industry since 2011. Continue reading ›

|

Darryl Cohen (Darryl Matthew Cohen CRD# 2786613) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Morgan Stanley (CRD#:149777) of Westlake Village, CA. His previous employers were Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC (CRD#:19616), also of Westlake Village, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD#:7691) of New York, NY. He has been in the industry since 1997. After a spate of customer disputes with similar allegations, Morgan Stanley terminated Cohen’s employment on 3/9/21. The reason was due to “Allegations relating to the representative's facilitation of outside client business and transactions not disclosed to or approved by Morgan Stanley and use of an unapproved platform to engage in inappropriate communications with clients.”Darryl Cohen (Darryl Matthew Cohen CRD# 2786613) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose last known employer was Morgan Stanley (CRD#:149777) of Westlake Village, CA. His previous employers were Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC (CRD#:19616), also of Westlake Village, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (CRD#:7691) of New York, NY. He has been in the industry since 1997. Continue reading ›

|

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for April 2022, the following individuals were suspended from FINRA for failing to comply with a FINRA arbitration award or settlement agreement pursuant to FINRA rules:

NAME FORMER EMPLOYERS
  Mamdoh Abas   Cetera Advisor Networks LLC
  ProEquities, Inc.
  John Agostino   LPL Financial LLC
  Wells Fargo Advisors LLC
  Adam Schachter   PM Wealth Management LLC
  LPL Financial LLC

Continue reading ›

|

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for April 2022, 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
  Antonio Bestard   Edward Jones
  Morgan Stanley
  Kevin Burckhard   Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
  Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc
  Darryl Cohen   Morgan Stanley
  Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
  Odalis Duran   J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  Chase Investment Services Corp.
  Thomas Hagan   Morgan Stanley
  Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
  Forrest Jones   Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
  Fortune Financial Services, Inc.
  Evan Jordan   J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
  AXA Advisors, LLC
  Bryan Richey   Eagle Strategies LLC
  NYLife Securities LLC
  Ebony Staples
  Jordan Whitacre   Arkadios Capital
  Triad Advisors LLC

Continue reading ›

|

According to FINRA Disciplinary actions for April 2022, the following individuals were suspended 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. However, these individuals remain bound by the securities arbitration agreement to arbitrate any disputes between themselves and their former customers:

NAME FORMER EMPLOYERS
  Kyleigh Haynes   Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC
  Grant Hebeisen   U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.
  Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
  Carl Ippolito   Pruco Securities, LLC
  Eagleview Securities, Inc.
  Jaime Quintero   American Independent Securities Group, LLC
  AFA Financial Group, LLC
  J-waun Smiley   Morgan Stanley
  Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
  Albert Tejada   Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC

Continue reading ›

|

Warren Rowe (Warren Ellwood Rowe, Jr. CRD# 1065880) is a former registered broker whose last known employer was Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (CRD#:249) of Richmond, VA. His previous employers include RBC Capital Markets, LLC (CRD#:31194) and Ferris, Baker Watts, LLC (CRD#:285), also of Richmond, and Wachovia Securities, LLC (CRD#:19616) of St. Louis, MO. He has been in the industry since 1982. Two clients filed disputes against Rowe that indicated he borrowed money from them. The first, filed on 5/1/2020, included allegations of unauthorized trading and requested damages of $225,000 and was ultimately dismissed. The second dispute was filed on 10/5/2020, and included damages of $25,000, and was ultimately denied. The loans were allegedly made in August and September of 2019. After the initial report that Rowe entered into a loan agreement with a client, he voluntarily resigned from Oppenheimer. The firm filed his Form U5 on 5/4/2020. The U5 stated that he entered into loan agreements with a client and failed to notify the firm of the transaction.Warren Rowe (Warren Ellwood Rowe, Jr. CRD# 1065880) is a former registered broker whose last known employer was Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (CRD#:249) of Richmond, VA. His previous employers include RBC Capital Markets, LLC (CRD#:31194) and Ferris, Baker Watts, LLC (CRD#:285), also of Richmond, and Wachovia Securities, LLC (CRD#:19616) of St. Louis, MO. He has been in the industry since 1982. Continue reading ›

|

Michael Knittel (Michael Murray Knittel CRD# 3274235) is a currently registered broker and investment advisor whose last known employer is Fortune Financial Services, Inc. (CRD#:42150) of El Dorado Hills, CA. His previous employers include J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. (CRD#:124583) and Financial Advisers Of America, LLC (CRD#:142170), both of Folsom, CA, and RBC Capital Markets, LLC (CRD#:31194), also of El Dorado Hills. He has been in the industry since 1999. Knittel engaged in a private security transaction which was specifically prohibited by his firm, Fortune Financial Services. The transaction involved recommending an investment in a promissory note to four individuals who were not customers of FFS. The note was issued by an LLC to fund remodeling a residential property and to pay an existing lien on that property. When the remodeling was completed and the property sold, the investors would be repaid their principal investment and receive a portion of the profits from the eventual sale. After the investors were introduced to one of the LLC owners and the transaction completed, Knittel received a payment of $10,000 from the LLC. Knittel never provided FFS with written notification of his involvement in the transaction, nor did he receive any written notice from the firm.Michael Knittel (Michael Murray Knittel CRD# 3274235) is a currently registered broker and investment advisor whose last known employer is Fortune Financial Services, Inc. (CRD#:42150) of El Dorado Hills, CA. His previous employers include J.W. Cole Financial, Inc. (CRD#:124583) and Financial Advisers Of America, LLC (CRD#:142170), both of Folsom, CA, and RBC Capital Markets, LLC (CRD#:31194), also of El Dorado Hills. He has been in the industry since 1999. Continue reading ›

|

Joseph La Scala (Joseph Brian La Scala CRD# 3070261) is a registered broker and a previously registered investment advisor whose current employer is Aegis Capital Corp. (CRD#: 15007) of Melville, NY. His previous employers include Paulson Investment Company, Inc. (CRD#:5670), Gunnallen Financial, Inc. (CRD#:17609) of Hauppauge, NY, and Investec Ernst & Company (CRD#:266) of New York, NY.  He has been in the industry since 1998. La Scala engaged in short-term trading in a customer’s 401(k) retirement account between July 2014 and April 2016 and exercised de facto control over the account with discretionary authority. However, the trades La Scala made were not consistent with the investment objectives and resulted in $90,720 in trading costs and $116,194 in losses for the customer. Additionally, La Scala did not have written authorization from the customer to exercise this discretion in the customer’s account. Aegis’ written policies from January 2015 and April 2016 prohibited representatives from acting on behalf of a customer without their express written authorization. Although he did occasionally discuss trading with the customer, he did not discuss individual trades with the customer on the days he made transactions. Joseph La Scala (Joseph Brian La Scala CRD# 3070261) is a registered broker and a previously registered investment advisor whose current employer is Aegis Capital Corp. (CRD#: 15007) of Melville, NY. His previous employers include Paulson Investment Company, Inc. (CRD#:5670), Gunnallen Financial, Inc. (CRD#:17609) of Hauppauge, NY, and Investec Ernst & Company (CRD#:266) of New York, NY.  He has been in the industry since 1998. Continue reading ›

|

Anthony DiDonna (Anthony Vincent DiDonna CRD# 7283414) is a former registered broker last employed with Equitable Advisors, LLC (CRD#:6627) of Woodbury, NY. He began working in the industry with Equitable in 2020, and has no other employers of record. Equitable Advisors terminated DiDonna’s employment on 4/27/2021 for “unauthorized transactions and misappropriation of client funds.” On 4/28/2021, a customer filed a dispute indicating that they “did not authorize transfers from their accounts to fund new investments that were unauthorized.” They also indicated that a signature on their account opening documents were “forged.” This claim is currently listed as “pending.” No additional information is available. FINRA’s investigation began on 12/14/2021, and DiDonna failed to provide documents and information as requested. Therefore, he was barred indefinitely and permanently by FINRA from association with any member, effective 3/17/2022.Anthony DiDonna (Anthony Vincent DiDonna CRD# 7283414) is a former registered broker last employed with Equitable Advisors, LLC (CRD#:6627) of Woodbury, NY. He began working in the industry with Equitable in 2020, and has no other employers of record. Continue reading ›

|

Ronald Molo (Ronald Terrence Molo CRD# 4371241) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose last employer was Edward Jones (CRD#:250) of Joliet, IL. He began working for Edward Jones on 05/15/2001. The firm terminated him on 06/15/2021 and has no other employment in the industry. Following Molo’s termination, three customers filed disputes on 6/16/2021, 6/18/2021, and 6/22/2021 with identical allegations of “former FA stole funds from them by wiring client funds to a bank account controlled by former FA's spouse under the guise that they were making an investment.” It is not known if these were all filed by the same client or three different clients.Ronald Molo (Ronald Terrence Molo CRD# 4371241) is a former registered broker and investment advisor whose last employer was Edward Jones (CRD#:250) of Joliet, IL. He began working for Edward Jones on 05/15/2001. The firm terminated him on 06/15/2021 and has no other employment in the industry. Continue reading ›

Contact Information
Main Office
11780 W Sample Rd
Coral Springs, FL 33065
Phone: (954) 755-4799Fax: (954) 755-4684
New York Office
229 W 36th St 8th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Phone: (212) 377-5227
Florida Office
4755 Technology Way #205
Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: (561) 665-8613
ATTORNEY ADVERTISING

Visit our Florida Securities Whistleblower Website

We serve clients nationwide including, but not limited to, those in the following localities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Bernardino-Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa–St. Petersburg, and Washington, D.C. View More

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Opt-Out IconYour Privacy Choices Cookie Policy Manage Cookies

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2026, Silver Law Group
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design