Our investment attorneys are investigating customer complaints filed with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against Michael DiGaetano (DiGaetano) currently associated with Independent Financial Group, LLC (Independent Financial) alleging unsuitable investments, misrepresentations, fraud, negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty among other claims. According to brokercheck records DiGaetano…
Articles Posted in Failure to Supervise
FINRA Bars Christopher Burtraw Over Borrowing Client Funds
The investment lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating the regulatory action brought by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against Christopher Burtraw (Burtraw) working out of Lakewood, Colorado alleging that the broker borrowed client funds. The providing of loans or selling of notes and other investments outside of a…
Broker Investigation: Gerald “Jerry” Tagge Promissory Note Sales
The investment lawyers of Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating a customer complaint brought before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against Gerald “Jerry” Tagge (Tagge) working out of Omaha, Nebraska alleging the sale of $125,000 in promissory notes. The providing of loans or selling of notes and other investments outside…
FINRA Bars Broker Tracy Wengert Over Trading Customer Accounts Outside His Brokerage Firm
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) brought and enforcement action against broker Tracy Wengert (Wengert) (FINRA No. 2015044289201) resulting in a bar from the securities industry alleging that Wengert failed to provide FINRA staff with information and documents requested. The failure to provide those documents and information to FINRA resulted…
Customers File Complaints Against Interactive Brokers for Flawed Margin Liquidations
The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are tracking a number of cases that have been filed against brokerage firm Interactive Brokers LLC (Interactive Brokers). These cases generally allege that due to market events affecting the customer’s accounts Interactive Brokers executed forced margin calls selling the customer’s securities. However, according…
Hedge Fund Canarsie Capital Losses 99.7% of Client’s Money Leading to SEC Investigation
According to news sources, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are investigating how the hedge fund Canarsie Capital lost nearly all of the $60 million capital in just three weeks of trading. The fund was run by Owen Li (Li), and Ken deRegt (deRegt).…
FINRA Bars Former Merrill Lynch Broker Michael Highfill Over Outside Business Activities
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) brought and enforcement action against broker Michael Highfill (Highfill) (FINRA No. 2015045652501) resulting in a bar from the securities industry alleging that Highfill failed to provide FINRA staff with information and documents requested. The failure to provide those documents and information to FINRA resulted…
Cape Securities, Inc. Fined $125,000 for Failure to Supervise
On May 5, 2015, the brokerage firm Cape Securities, Inc. (“Cape”) was fined $125,000 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for failing to supervise its personnel, in effect allowing its brokers to recommend unsuitable investments and churn customer accounts. According to the Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC),…
BestVest Investments Sanctioned Over Non-Traditional ETF Sales
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) sanctioned (Case No. 2014038906201) brokerage firm BestVest Investments, Ltd. (BestVest) concerning allegations that from January 2012, through August 2014, BestVest failed to establish and maintain a supervisory system reasonably designed to monitor transactions in leveraged, inverse, and inverse leveraged exchange traded funds (Non-Traditional ETFs).…
FINRA Bars Former LPL Financial Broker Thomas Caniford From the Industry
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) barred former LPL Financial LLC (LPL) broker Thomas Caniford (Caniford) after the broker failed to respond to a letter from the regulator requesting information. While BrokerCheck records kept by FINRA do not disclose the nature of the regulatory inquiry, in February 2015, Caniford was…