Selling Away

Broker Javier Martin Riva in Bulltick, LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

May 18, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Javier Martin Riva (Martin Riva) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Martin Riva was employed by Bulltick, LLC at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Martin Riva’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $20,000,000.00 on March 20, 2025.

The allegations in this civil complaint were the subject of a prior U4 filing submitted on February 5, 2024 (filing ID 63632267), and amended on April 10, 2024 (filing ID 64281514), regarding a civil complaint originally filed in New York state court in January 2024. That prior, original complaint was recently dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction. The civil complaint that is the subject of this U4 amended filing is a refiled complaint, but now in Florida state court. As was described to FINRA staff in the prior U4 filings, Plaintiffs are private investment vehicles associated with a family office of a high-net-worth family and allege that they lost money investing a private special vehicle that invested in convertible notes issued by Theia International group LLC (‘Theia’) a technology company. Plaintiffs invested a total of $20 million in January 2021. The complaint alleges that Theia, the representative and others made misrepresentations in connection with the investments and that Theia, along with the representative and others, misappropriated the plaintiff’s funds.

Broker Hector Villaescusa in Bulltick, LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

May 18, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Hector Villaescusa (Villaescusa) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Villaescusa was employed by Bulltick, LLC at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Villaescusa’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $20,000,000.00 on March 20, 2025.

The allegations in this civil complaint were the subject of a prior U4 filing submitted on February 5, 2024 (filing ID 63634608), and amended on April 10, 2024 (filing ID 64281386), regarding a civil complaint originally filed in New York state court in January 2024. That prior, original complaint was recently dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction. The civil complaint that is the subject of this U4 amended filing is a refiled complaint, but now in Florida state court. As was described to FINRA staff in the prior U4 filings, Plaintiffs are private investment vehicles associated with a family office of a high-net-worth family and allege that they lost money investing a private special vehicle that invested in convertible notes issued by Theia International group LLC (‘Theia’) a technology company. Plaintiffs invested a total of $20 million in January 2021. The complaint alleges that Theia, the representative and others made misrepresentations in connection with the investments and that Theia, along with the representative and others, misappropriated the plaintiff’s funds.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Michael Lickiss in Firm Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments

May 15, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Michael Lickiss (Lickiss) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Lickiss was employed by Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Lickiss’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on April 04, 2025.

Failure to Supervise, Breach of Fiduciary Duty and Negligence in the sale of promissory notes.

Broker Gregory Whelan in Kovack Securities INC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

May 4, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Gregory Whelan (Whelan) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Whelan was employed by Kovack Securities INC. at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Whelan’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $3,408,797.00 on May 14, 2024.

The customer alleges unsuitable investments, misrepresentations, and the use of personal email to engage in selling away.

Broker Keith Harper in Osaic Wealth, INC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

May 2, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Keith Harper (Harper) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Harper was employed by Osaic Wealth, INC. at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Harper’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $154,000.00 on May 23, 2024.

Allege that representative encouraged the investment in a private security that turned out to be fraudulent/a ponzi scheme. Clients’ initial investment was in December 2015 in the amount of $25,000. Thereafter, they made two other investments–one in June 2016 for $20,000 and one in November 2021 for $25,000.

Broker Kurt Berry in Vanderbilt Securities, LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

April 28, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Kurt Berry (Berry) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Berry was employed by Vanderbilt Securities, LLC at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Berry’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on June 17, 2024.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Berry consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he participated in private securities transactions involving customers without providing prior written notice to his member firms or receiving approval from them. The findings stated that Berry’s customers invested $517,410 in oil and gas wells through a series of securities offerings. These customers were all either pre-existing clients or family members of existing clients of Berry’s advisory firm. Berry met with and made each customer aware of the oil and gas securities offerings, discussed the investments with each customer, and introduced each customer to a colleague who had visited some of the oil and gas wells to conduct due diligence. For each of the customers, Berry received $2,000, totaling $8,000.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Hugo Hernandez in Firm MML Investors Services, LLC

April 26, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Hugo Hernandez (Hernandez) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Hernandez was employed by MML Investors Services, LLC at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Hernandez’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $23,000.00 on June 25, 2024.

The complainant alleges that on/or about January 29, 2024, he met with the registered representative, regarding investing in an alternative investment, and then paid the registered representative $20,000 on/or about February 16, 2024, with the agreement, that he would be paid back within 90 days, with a 15% return. The complainant says that as of June 25, 2024, he has not been paid back, and the checks given to the complainant have bounced, totaling $23,000 and feels this is a misappropriation of investment funds.

Broker Luis Corrales in Park Avenue Securities LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

April 26, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Luis Corrales (Corrales) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Corrales was employed by Park Avenue Securities LLC at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Corrales’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $100,000.00 on June 21, 2024.

Claimant alleges the RR recommended she invest in three separate private investments that she believed were approved by the Firm.

Broker Bobb Meckenstock in Osaic Wealth, INC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

April 26, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Bobb Meckenstock (Meckenstock) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Meckenstock was employed by Osaic Wealth, INC. at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Meckenstock’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a settled customer complaint with a damage request of $154,000.00 on June 21, 2024.

Per the Independent Financial Group, LLC filing, allege that representative, for whom Mr. Meckenstock was the supervisor/OSJ, encouraged the investment in a private securities transaction that turned out to be fraudulent/a ponzi scheme. Clients’ initial investment was in December 2015 in the amount of $25,000. Thereafter, they made two other investments–one in June 2016 for $20,000 and one in November 2021 for $25,000.

Broker Richard Cardinale in PHX Financial, INC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

April 25, 2025 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP are currently investigating claims that Broker Richard Cardinale (Cardinale) has been accused by investors of engaging in fraudulent misappropriation of their funds. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it appears that Cardinale was employed by PHX Financial, INC. at the time of the activity. If you have been a victim of Cardinale’s alleged misconduct our firm may be able to assist you in recovering funds.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on July 01, 2024.

Claimant alleges he was a victim of fraudulent private investments with counts of unsuitability, negligent supervision, common law fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and failure to warn.