Former Goldman Sachs & Co. Associate Eugene Plotnik has pled guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, in addition to eight counts of insider trading. The charges carry a maximum of 165 years in prison. Plotnik had been charged with running a “multi-faceted,” multi-million dollar scam that used inside information…
Hartford Financial Services Group will pay $115 million to settle market-timing and broker-compensation charges brought by the Attorney General offices of Connecticut, New York and Illinois. The three state regulators charged that the Hartford insurance unit failed to properly oversee hedge funds that were engaging in market-timing sales of its…
Former Merrill Lynch employee Hydie Sumner sued that firm saying she was sexually harassed. She was represented by lawyer Linda Freidman. In 2004, a panel of three NASD arbitrators decided Hydie was right and awarded her $2.2 million. They also forced Merrill to reinstate her. Meanwhile, an email was allegedly…
FSC created “an extremely cozy environment for a man bent on defrauding his customers,” said three NASD Securities Arbitrators, “management ineptness was broad” and the firm ignored red flags that the broker had “selling away” issues (using one’s status at a firm to aid in the sale of investments not…
In one of its final regulatory acts before being folded into the NASD, the New York Stock Exchange’s regulatory unit has censured and fined Smith Barney $50 million over illegal trades, failures to supervise and record-keeping violations. The firm agreed to the sanctions without admitting or denying the charges. The…
Last month, when Brookstreet Securities suffered a flame-out over high risk mortgage investments, its second in command, also the son of its founder, joined Wedbush Morgan and invited Brookstreet brokers to join him at that firm. Some thought it an odd fit, but the firms may have more in common…
Securities America, Inc. agreed to a $375,000 fine to settle charges by the NASD that it received improperly directed mutual fund commissions on behalf of one of its brokers, failed to supervise and failed to disclose the arrangements to the affected mutual fund owners. The NASD said that this situation,…
After sale if its U.S. Trust subsidiary to Bank of America for $3.3 billion, Charles Schwab Corporation has decided to distribute even more than the proceeds of that sale to its shareholders by buying back shares and paying a special dividend. Under the plan, San Francisco-based Schwab will pay up…
Massachusetts securities regulators fined Oppenheimer & Company, Inc. a million dollars for failing to supervise its representatives and ordered the company to also pay $135,000 to the victim, the difference between the losses she sustained and the amount Oppenheimer earlier paid her. Oppenheimer was charged with failing to supervise a…
As we reported in June: Brookstreet Securities Corp. reported severe problems with CMO securities and soon announced its closing. Scott Brooks (son of Stan Brooks, founder of Brookstreet) left for Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc. of Los Angeles, inviting Brookstreet’s representatives to join him. Brookstreet operated using independent contractors almost exclusively…