May 7, 2014

FINRA Takes Action Against Reps

business man holding his head with text asking questions about stock broker misconduct

Florida broker Emily Palmer Vitale, with Florida Investment Advisors now known as BT Wealth Advisors, a subsidiary of The Tampa Banking Co., was fined $5000 and suspended for three months by FINRA for allegedly forging a client’s signature. In January 2014, Vitale allegedly cut and pasted a customer’s signature from another document to another.

Christopher Somes Babcock, was barred by FINRA. A former broker with Citigroup Global Markets and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Babcock allegedly took $160,000 from his customers and used it for his own use and benefit. Babcock also falsified a customer’s account summaries, falsely inflating the value of the customer’s portfolio.

Jeffery Bowman Ellis, 65, was fined $10,000 and suspended for two months by FINRA. Ellis was formerly registered with Deutsche Bank Securities. Ellis allegedly executed six unauthorized trades in a deceased customer’s account.

Soreide Law Group, represents clients nationwide. If you or a family member have sustained investment losses because of your broker/financial advisor's recommendations, call a Securities Arbitration Lawyer for a free consultation on how to potentially recover those losses: 888-760-6552.

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