Broker Fraud

GPB Capital Holdings’ Auditor Resigns Within Months of Private Placement Sales Suspension

Published on: November 19, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Already under scrutiny for suspending its sale of private placements, along with redemptions to investors, GPB Capital Holdings now has to explain why its accountant, Crowe LLP, has resigned as the alternative asset management firm’s auditor. GPB Capital had announced a few months ago that it was undergoing an accounting overhaul and that this was why it had failed to submit financial statements for its two biggest funds – the GPB Holdings II and the GPB Automotive Portfolio – to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this year. These private placements primarily invest in waste management businesses and car dealerships.

According to GPB Capital CEO David Gentile, Crowe has resigned because of “perceived risks” that the accounting firm felt were outside its “internal risk tolerance parameters.” GPB Capital has since retained EisnerAmper, LLP as its replacement auditor.

Such a significant change at such an important time period should raise significant concerns to those who have invested in GPB Capital Holdings private placement deals. GPB Capital Holdings has at least nine different funds including the two mentioned above (GPB Automotive Portfolio and GPB Holdings II) as well as GPB Holdings III, GPB Cold Storage, GPB NY Development and GPB Waste Management.

Former Next Financial Investment Adviser and Broker Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Investor Fraud Charges

Published on: November 9, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Douglas P. Simanski, a former Next Financial investment adviser and broker, has pleaded guilty to a $4.5M investor fraud for the criminal charges of wire fraud, securities fraud, and submitting false income tax returns. He is accused of bilking over 30 clients over a 14-year period.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, between February 2002 and May 2016, Simanski “fraudulently obtained” about $4.5M from investors. He “fabricated” contracts for “Tax Free Investments” and “fake CDs” that came with a list of guaranteed return rates and payouts. The bogus documents were used to solicit investors.

Simanski went on to use some of the investors’ funds to issue returns to other investors to make it seem as if the “investments were legitimate.” He also used some of their money for personal spending and in his own E*Trade account. The former Next financial broker is accused of turning in income tax returns that were “false.”

Ex-LPL Financial Broker Gets 20 Years in Prison for Securities Fraud

Published on: November 6, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Sonya Camarco, an target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>ex-LPL Financial (LPLA) broker, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after she admitted to stealing $1.8M from clients. Camarco, who worked for the brokerage firm in Colorado, was indicted by a grand jury last year on multiple counts of securities fraud. She pleaded guilty to one count of each.

According to the broker fraud case against her, between 2013 and 2017, Camaro stole over $1.8M from clients for her own use. In August 2017, LPL Financial fired her. That same month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission was able to get an emergency court order and asset freeze against Camarco. The SEC’s complaint said that the theft took place over 13 years and the ex-LPL broker lied to clients about the money she was taking from their accounts.

The SEC also accused Camarco of forging client signatures on checks and liquidating securities in their accounts so she could make unauthorized payments. When clients asked about the checks written to an entity named “C Investments”, Camarco lied by claiming that the entity was an outside investment she had made for them. The former broker also allegedly lied when LPL Financial confronted her about the fraud. All the while, she used client money to pay her mortgage and credit card bills.

Another Ex-Morgan Stanley Broker is Barred by FINRA

Published on: October 16, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has barred another former Morgan Stanley (MS) broker. John Halsey Buck III consented to the industry bar after he did not provide the information and documents that the self-regulatory organization asked for related to its probe into his alleged involvement in unapproved private securities sales. Buck, who has over 50 years experience in the industry, was let go by the brokerage firm earlier this year.

Morgan Stanley reportedly fired him in the wake of disclosure-related issues, including those involving private investments that did not involve the broker-dealer. According to InvestmentNews, the allegations against Buck have to do with “selling away.” This is a practice that happens when a stockbroker, financial adviser, or a registered representative solicits the sale of or sells securities that his or her brokerage firm does not offer or hold. Broker-dealers usually have a list of approved products that its brokers are allowed to sell to firm clients.

Buck had been with the industry since 1965. Previous to working with Morgan Stanley, he was a registered broker with UBS Financial Services (UBS), Wachovia Securities, Prudential Securities Incorporated, Loeb Partners, and Hornblower, Weeks, Noyes & Trask.

Financial Fraud: Massachusetts Mayor is Accused of Bilking Investors, Former Wells Fargo Broker Allegedly Stole $1M From Older Clients, and the LendingClub Asset Management Settles $4.27M Securities Case

Published on: October 11, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

26-Year Old Mayor is Arrested and Accused of Investor Fraud

Jasiel Correira, who is the mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to multiple criminal counts of wire fraud and tax fraud. The 26-year-old was arrested this week following allegations that he defrauded investors of over $230K.

Correira maintains that the investor fraud allegations are false. He refuses to step down as city mayor.

Two Former Meyers Associates Alleged Excessive Trading Cost Investors $3.6M

Published on: September 25, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The US Securities and Exchange Commission is accusing brokers Jovannie Aquino and Emil Botvinnik of fraud that allegedly cost investors about $3.6M. According to the regulator, Botvinnik, who is a Florida resident and is no longer a registered representative, and Aquino who is a New York resident, recommended frequent, short-term trades, earning them about $4.6M in commissions while practically guaranteeing that their customers would lose money. Botvinnik’s alleged excessive trading took place between 6/2012 and 11/2014. Aquino’s alleged excessive trading occurred between 12/2015 to 11/2017.

Many of these customers were retail investors. A number of them were of retirement age or close to that age.

At the time of the alleged broker fraud, Aquino and Botvinnik were with Meyers Associates LP. The firm is now called Windsor Street Capital LP. Aquino then went to work with Spartan Capital Securities while Botvinnik moved on to Newport Coast Securities, SW Financial, and Worden Capital Management.

Investor Fraud: Steele Financial is Accused of Selling Over $13M in Risky Securities, NJ Broker Allegedly Cherry Picked Trades, and the SEC Files Charges in $27M Microcap Fraud

Published on: September 15, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Steele Financial is Accused of Investor Fraud

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed civil charges against investment advisory firm Steele Financial Inc. and its owner Tamara Steele. According to the regulator, they allegedly sold $13M of risky securities to over 120 advisory clients. A lot of these clients are teachers, ex-teachers, or other public education employees. The SEC contends that Steele and her investment advisory firm did not tell them that Steele Financial would be making up to 18% in commissions in sales.

According to the Commission’s investment advisory fraud complaint, from 12/2012 to 10/2016, Stele Financial and Steele sold over $15M of Behavioral Recognition Systems Inc. securities. BRS is a company that the SEC has charged with fraud in the past. Meantime, Stele and her firm made over $2.5M of commissions.

FINRA Bars Former JP Morgan, Stifel Nicolaus, and Benjamin & Jerold Brokers

Published on: September 11, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has barred three former brokers who failed to take part in the self-regulatory authority’s probe into allegations of wrongdoing. Stephen T. Hurtak, formerly of Stifel Nicolaus & Co., was a broker for 39 years. According to FINRA, Hurtak refused to take part in the investigation into possibly unsuitable recommendations he may have made to several customers.

Unsuitable Recommendations

Brokers have a duty to make investment recommendations and strategies that are appropriate for a customer as it pertains to their investment goals, risk tolerance, and portfolios. When unsuitable recommendations lead to investment losses, this can be grounds for an investor fraud case.

Financial Firm News: Includes Lincoln Investment Planning, Grenda Group, and Massachusetts Financial Services Company

Published on: September 7, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Lincoln Investment Planning to Pay Clients For Not Giving Discounts on Mutual Fund Shares

FINRA is ordering broker-dealer Lincoln Investment Planning to pay $1.37M to clients to whom it did not give the discounts they were entitled to when they purchased mutual fund A shares between 1/2011 and 6/2018.

The self-regulatory organization contends that the firm placed certain charitable organizations and retirement plan customers at a disadvantage by charging them a front-end sales charge even when they qualified to not pay the fees.

Investigations Involving William A. Hightower of UBS Financial Services and Legacy Asset Securities Inc.

Published on: September 6, 2018 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

SHEPHERD SMITH EDWARDS & KANTAS LLP INVESTIGATING CLAIMS INVOLVING William A. HIGHTOWER, UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES INC. and Legacy Asset Securities, INC.

Baytown, Texas – September 6, 2018

Lawyers with the Securities Law Firm of SHEPHERD SMITH EDWARDS & KANTAS LLP, www.sseklaw.com, are investigating claims involving William A. Hightower, UBS Financial Services Inc. and Legacy Asset Securities, Inc. Hightower worked as a broker throughout Texas for almost two decades, with his most recent two positions at UBS and Legacy starting in 2007. It appears that, starting in 2009, Hightower engaged in a series of improper private securities transactions including sales of stock in Hightower Capital and “private annuities” between Hightower and his customers. In 2015, Hightower was barred from the financial services industry by FINRA for failing to cooperate with an investigation and is currently under criminal investigation for securities fraud.