Alternative Investment

Broker Roger Sims in LPL Financial LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

December 26, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Previously financial advisor Roger Sims (Sims), previously employed by brokerage firm LPL Financial LLC has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint on January 18, 2022.

Claimants allege that between May 2014 and November 2015 representative made unsuitable investments in REITs.

Broker Vincent Mastrovito in J.w. Cole Financial, INC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

December 26, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Previously financial advisor Vincent Mastrovito (Mastrovito), previously employed by brokerage firm J.w. Cole Financial, INC. has been subject to at least 2 disclosable events. These events include 2 customer complaints. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a award / judgment customer complaint with a damage request of $1,048,281.95 on January 24, 2022.

Client alleged REITs and insurance policy were unsuitable

Broker Barbara Ralston in Kovack Securities INC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

December 25, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Currently financial advisor Barbara Ralston (Ralston), currently employed by brokerage firm Kovack Securities INC. has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $35,000.00 on January 31, 2022.

Claimant expressed his dissatisfaction related to REIT purchase made approximately seven years ago by a Representative supervised by Ms. Ralston. Arbitration filed claims unsuitability and misrepresentation regarding the REITs.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Maxim Tulupnikoff in Firm David Lerner Associates, INC.

December 21, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Currently financial advisor Maxim Tulupnikoff (Tulupnikoff), currently employed by brokerage firm David Lerner Associates, INC. has been subject to at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $65,000.00 on October 14, 2025.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on May 20, 2025.

Broker Ashley Romiti in Realta Equities, INC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

December 20, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Currently financial advisor Ashley Romiti (Romiti), currently employed by brokerage firm Realta Equities, INC. has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on October 21, 2025.

Alleges unsuitable purchased of several DSTs (Private Placements) from 03/14/22 though 12/11/23

LA Times Highlights Investor Outrage After Trump Commutes Sentence of GPB CEO David Gentile

December 18, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The Los Angeles Times published a major story today examining the fallout from President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of David Gentile, former CEO of GPB Capital, after he served only days of a seven-year federal prison term for orchestrating a massive $1.6 billion fraud that devastated more than 10,000 investors nationwide.

For the retirees, teachers, nurses, small business owners, and families who entrusted their savings to GPB — many of whom will never fully recover their losses — the commutation is not just shocking. It is deeply painful.

As I told the LA Times:

Why GWG Bond Investors Must Pay Attention to FINRA’s Latest Suitability Enforcement

December 17, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

FINRA’s Latest Action on GWG L-Bonds Confirms What Investors Have Been Saying for Years

FINRA’s recent enforcement action involving the sale of GWG L-Bonds to elderly investors underscores a systemic problem that has directly harmed thousands of families who were steered into these speculative, illiquid products. The case—where an advisor concentrated an 81-year-old client’s account in GWG bonds—illustrates the same failures we continue to see in our GWG investigations.

As I told InvestmentNews:

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Rey Descalso in Firm J.w. Cole Financial, INC.

December 14, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Currently financial advisor Rey Descalso (Descalso), currently employed by brokerage firm J.w. Cole Financial, INC. has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $50,000.00 on December 20, 2021.

Client alleges a REIT and BDC purchased were unsuitable.

Broker Darryl Ferguson in LPL Financial LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

December 14, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Previously financial advisor Darryl Ferguson (Ferguson), previously employed by brokerage firm LPL Financial LLC has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $500,000.00 on December 22, 2021.

Claimants allege registered representative recommended unsuitable non-traded REIT investments.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Bradley Goodbred in Firm LPL Financial LLC

December 12, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

Previously financial advisor Bradley Goodbred (Goodbred), previously employed by brokerage firm LPL Financial LLC has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to a BrokerCheck reports most of the recent customer complaints concern either corporate debt securities or alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like business development companies (BDCs), non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and private placements. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented hundreds of investors who suffered losses caused by these types of high risk, low reward products.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $1,613,981.30 on January 06, 2022.

Customer alleges that representative caused her to execute a document appointing representative as her power of attorney, and that representative allegedly induced customer to invest in a fraudulent, unregistered security. Activity period 2009 to 2020.