The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed fraud charges against Phillip Michael Carter, Bobby Eugene Guess, Richard Tilford, and several entities accusing them of operating a multi-million dollar offering fraud. The regulator contends that the three men raised nearly $45 million from more than 270 investors in the US…
Investor Lawyers Blog
Ex- Financial Adviser Peggy Fulford is Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Defrauding Professional Athletes
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas recently announced that District Court Judge Keith P. Ellison has sentenced former financial adviser Peggy Ann Fulford to 120 months in prison—that’s 10 years. Fulford defrauded a number of professional athletes, including ex-NBA basketball players Dennis Rodman and Travis Best,…
Securities Cases: Massachusetts Charges Royal Alliance Over Unsuitable Investment Advice, Ex-Schwab Rep. is Fined For Alleged False Statements, and Texas Broker Accused of Bank Fraud Gets His CFP Designation Suspended
Former Centaurus Financial Broker’s Certified Financial Planner Designation is Suspended The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has suspended Texas broker’s Larry J. Templin’s CFP designation. The interim suspension comes after Templin, who is accused of bank fraud, refused to provide the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) with information related…
CFD Investments Ordered to Pay $125K Fine Over the Inadequate Supervision of Variable Annuity Sales
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is ordering CFD Investments to pay a $125K fine over what the self-regulatory authority (SRO) found to be the inadequate supervision of its registered representatives when they sold variable annuities(VAs) to customers. FINRA said that between 7/2014 and 7/2016 the broker-dealer did not set up,…
Royal Alliance and Former Broker Are Ordered to Pay $4.2M To Widow Who Was Victim of Investor Fraud
A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) panel has found that ex-Royal Alliance Associates broker stole money from Cathy Carter, a 54-year-old widow suffering from a brain injury. Former broker Gary Basralian has already pleaded guilty to defrauding clients of at least $2M and using the funds on himself. Now, FINRA…
Puerto Rico Oversight Board Seeks to Invalidate Over $6 Billion of General Obligation Bonds
The Financial Oversight Management Board for Puerto Rico (the Board) is asking a federal district court judge to invalidate over $6 Billion in general obligation (GO) bonds by disallowing any claims brought by the bonds’ holders. The legal action, brought by the Board and the island’s unsecured creditors’ committee, focuses…
Enbridge Acquires The Rest of Its Houston-Based Mastered Limited Partnership Operations
Enbridge Inc. (ENB) has consolidated its acquisition of master limited partnership (MLP) operations in Texas by approving the acquisition of all outstanding Enbridge Energy Partners LP (EEP) public Class A common units, as well as all outstanding Enbridge Energy Management LLC (EEQ) public listed shares. Two deals had been earmarked…
Finra Bars Another Ex-Morgan Stanley Representative, Fines Firm $10M for AML Detection Deficiencies, and Orders It To Pay Two Investors $4.2M For Broker Fraud
Daniel Todd Levine, a former Morgan Stanley (MS) broker, has been barred by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority after he failed to cooperate in a probe into allegations that he may have taken part in outside business activities that he did not disclose to the broker-dealer while he worked for…
Houston, TX-Based Brokerage Firm Next Financial is Acquired by Atria
Next Financial Group Inc. will be purchased by Atria Solutions. The Houston-based independent broker-dealer is the fourth brokerage firm that Atria, which is located in Dallas, has acquired since 2017. The other brokerage firms are Cadaret Grant & Co., Cusco Financial Services, and Sorrento Pacific Financial. Next Financial currently has…
Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Oversight Board Reportedly Will Pay Advisor Brown Rudnick $790/Hour
According to Puerto Rican local new site Noticel.com, the US Territory’s Financial Oversight and Management Board, which has chosen Brown Rudnick as its claims advisor, will pay the law firm $790 an hour—a figure that reportedly will rise 4% annually and does not include its team’s travel expenses that the…