Elderly Couple is Seeking Up to $500K Plus Interest and Costs Against Centaurus Financial Two older investors, both retired and on disability, have filed a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration claim against brokerage firm Centaurus Financial over losses they sustained from purchasing GWG L Bonds. GWG Holdings, Inc., a…
Los Angeles-Based Financial Advisor Allegedly Targeted Customers of Iranian Heritage In an earlier GWG L Bond blog post, our securities attorneys reported we were looking into whether customers of Emerson Equity broker Tony Barouti had suffered losses in these high-yield bonds. In March 2022, investors filed two investor claims seeking…
Berthel Fisher & Co Accused of Supervisory and Compliance Issues Involving a Customer The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced that Berthel Fisher & Co. had been ordered to pay a $100K fine. This fine concerns shortcomings related to compliance involving options trades in a customer’s account. The firm is…
Calton & Associates Financial Advisor Accused of Unsuitability and Misrepresentations Paul William Murphy, currently a Calton & Associates registered representative, is named in two pending customer disputes where the claimants are seeking over $589K. These latest allegations appear to stem from when Murphy was a Newport Coast Asset Management and…
Ex-Wells Fargo Broker Jeremy Fortner Allegedly Borrowed Money From Clients Our broker misconduct lawyers investigate claims of losses involving former customers of ex-Wells Fargo Advisors registered representative Jeremy Fortner. The broker-dealer fired him in August 2021 in the wake of allegations that he inappropriately borrowed funds. In November 2021, with…
Despite Misgivings, Court Approves $10M Financing for Troubled GWG Holdings One day after GWG Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Judge Marvin Isgur of the US Bankruptcy Court in Houston approved $10M in financing for the asset manager despite his concerns regarding the mechanics of the loan. The emergency…
High-Yield GWG L Bonds May Now Be Worth 20 to 30 Cents on The Dollar Our high-yield bond lawyers investigate brokerage firms that sold GWG L Bonds to their customers. On April 20, 2022, GWG Holdings, Inc., the issuer of these junk bonds, announced that it had filed for Chapter…
Ex-Morgan Stanley Broker Accused of Defrauding Investors, Including Retirees The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed civil charges against former Morgan Stanley financial advisor Shawn Edward Good accusing him of operating a years-long Ponzi scheme and misappropriating millions of dollars from customers. Shawn Good is accused of raising at…
Issuer of L Bonds Says SEC’s Probe Contributed to Its Demise In the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on April 20, 2022, GWG Holdings, Inc. (GWGH) voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The move was expected in the wake of the regulatory and financial woes…
SEC Obtains Default Judgment Against Former Cincinnati, Ohio Registered Representative The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has obtained a default judgment against Scott Allen Fries. He was a Transamerica Financial Advisors registered representative from 2014 to 2019. The regulator’s amended complaint accuses the former broker and investment advisor of raising…