The following information is from FINRA’s website under “Disciplinary Actions, March, 2012:   Erick Enrique Isaac (CRD #5691821, Registered Representative, Aventura, Florida)   submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which he was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. Without admitting or denying the findings, Isaac consented to the […]

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WAS OBTAINED FROM THE SEC'S WEBSITE: "On March 1, 2012, a federal judge ordered the former CEO of Brookstreet Securities Corp. to pay a maximum $10 million penalty in a securities fraud case related to the financial crisis. In December of 2009, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil injunctive […]

  In a recent New York times article, Greg Smith writes about his experience with Goldman Sachs as an executive director and head of the firm’s United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Here are some excerpts from his article that highlight Goldman Sachs intention to make money off their clients […]

The following information was obtained on FINRA’s website’s ‘Disciplinary Actions, February 2012.”   Revere Securities Corp. (CRD #14178, Boca Raton, Florida)   submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which the firm was censured, fined $15,000 and required to revise its WSPs (Written Supervisory Procedures)  regarding OATS (Order Audit Trail System) reporting.   […]

The following information was obtained on FINRA’s website’s ‘Disciplinary Actions, January 2012.”   Joseph James Sciarra Jr. (CRD #1576322, Registered Principal, Wellington, Florida)   was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity and ordered to pay $393,935, plus interest, in restitution to a customer’s estate. The sanctions were based on findings that […]

Alan Stuart Pattee (CRD #3002976, Registered Representative, Lake Worth, Florida)   has submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. Without admitting or denying the findings, Pattee consented to the described sanction and to the entry of findings that he forged homeowner […]

Timothy Michael McGinn (CRD #813935, Registered Principal, Schenectady, New York) and David Lee Smith (CRD #427284, Registered Principal, Saratoga Springs, New York) were barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity. The sanctions were based on findings that Smith misused investor funds when he sold approximately $89 million in income notes issued by […]

In a November 25, 2011, article in InvestNews.com, Bruce Kelly writes that broker-dealers who sold billions of dollars in allegedly fraudulent private placements failed massively in their due-diligence responsibilities to investors, according to the assessment of forensic accountant and expert witness Gordon Yale, who has worked on more than 50 legal claims brought by investors against […]

In a November 28, 2011 article for InvestmentNews.com, Bruce Kelly writes that Next Financial Group, Inc. has agreed to pay $2 million in restitution to clients who bought oil and natural gas private placements of Provident Royalties LLC, which the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2009 accused of fraud. In a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. […]