On Friday, February 15, the First Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling on Judge Laura Swain’s prior decision that had affirmed the PROMESA Board as constitutional. In a surprise finding, the Court of Appeals overruled Judge…
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Investor Lawyers Blog
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Recover Losses From Investing With Former Ameritas Investment Corp. Broker Kristian Gaudet
Current Investigation: Shepherd, Smith, Edwards & Kantas, LLP (“SSEK Law Firm”) is currently investigating claims on behalf of former clients of Kristian “Kris” Gaudet (“Gaudet”) of Cut Off, Louisiana. In January 2019, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) barred Gaudet from association with any FINRA member. The result of such a…
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Investor Fraud: Former MML Investors Broker Who Sold $3.5M of Woodbridge Notes is Barred, Ex-Merrill Lynch Rep Gets 40-Month Prison Term for Defrauding Clients, and Barred UBS Broker is Sentenced in $3.7M Fraud
Ex-Merrill Lynch Broker Will Pay $5M Penalty and Serve Time In Prison A federal judge has sentenced Thomas Buck, an ex-Merrill Lynch broker, to 40 months in prison. Buck pleaded guilty to securities fraud in 2017. As part of his plea, he admitted to lying to Merrill about telling clients about…
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$18 Billion COFINA Deal to Restructure Puerto Rico Debt Gets Federal Court Approval
U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain has approved a plan to restructure nearly $18 billion of Puerto Rico’s Sales Tax Financing Corp. (COFINA) debt. Judge Swain, who is based in New York but oversees Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy-like proceedings, said the Court believes that the COFINA plan is essential to the…
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Commodity Futures Trading Commission Orders Couple Who Pleaded Guilty in $11M Futures Trading Scam to Pay Restitution
The CFTC is ordering Lawrence/Laurence Hong, his wife Grace Hong, and their Pishon Holding LLC to pay over $1.25M in restitution for the misappropriation and fraudulent solicitation of futures contracts. The couple already pleaded guilty to related criminal charges last year, with Laurence sentenced to 180 months in prison and…
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Statim Holdings Is Accused of Defrauding Private Fund Arjun and Its Investors
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed civil charges against Statim Holdings, Inc. and its owner Atlanta investment adviser, Joseph A. Meyer. The regulator is accusing them of defrauding the private fund Arjun L.P., which they managed, and its investors. Arjun, set up by Meyer in 2007, is a…
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Finra Bars Fired Merrill Lynch Broker Accused of Falsifying Class B Mutual Fund Share Sales Orders
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) has permanently barred fired Merrill Lynch broker Bhenoy (Ben) Dembla. According to InvestmentNews, The former broker was let go from the financial firm in 2016 for “falsifying documents” related to mutual fund sales. Dembla, who worked for Merrill the entire time he was a…
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Investment Fraud: Capital Securities Must Pay Retired Teachers $3.8M and Investors Ask Court for Nearly $2.7M Judgment over High Risk Investment Losses
FINRA Panel Orders Capital Securities to Pay Retired Teachers $2.38M A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel has awarded retired schoolteachers Beryl Lakin and Janice Patin $2.38M for losses they sustained while they were clients of Capitol Securities Management, which is based in Virginia. The two claimants, who are…
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U.S. First Court of Appeals Reverses Lower Court and Rules that Puerto Rico Bondholders Have a Valid Claim on Pension Fund Assets
The First Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a district court ruling from the lower court over whether bondholders of nearly $3 billion of debt issued by Puerto Rico’s Employees Retirement System (ERS) have a claim on the pension fund’s assets. The pension fund is designated for the island’s public…
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Retirement Losses: First Allied Securities and Financial Adviser to Pay Retirees Over $1.6M for Investment Advice, MetLife to Pay Another $189M to Individuals Owed Pensions, and Duke University Will Pay Over $10M to Settles Lawsuits Alleging ERISA Violations
Investors Alleging Negligence and Mishandling of Their Retirement Funds Win FINRA Case A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) panel arbitration is ordering First Allied Securities and financial adviser Larry Glenn Boggs to pay claimants and early retirees Nita and Mike Snow over $578K in compensatory damages, $500,000 in punitive damages,…