Securities Lawyers Blog

Broker Forrest Jones in Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated Firm Has Customer Complaint

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Forrest Jones (Jones), previously associated with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, has at least 3 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, 2 regulatory events, alleging that Jones recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on May 13, 2022.

Respondent Jones failed to comply with an arbitration award or settlement agreement or to satisfactorily respond to a FINRA request to provide information concerning the status of compliance.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Eric Burton in Firm Cetera Advisors LLC

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Eric Burton (Burton), currently associated with Cetera Advisors LLC, has at least 4 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, 3 regulatory events, alleging that Burton recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on March 23, 2022.

In June 2021, Mr. Burton entered into an AWC with FINRA relating to the sale of certain variable annuities. Solely as a result of that, the State of Florida determined to suspend his insurance license for a three-month period.

Broker Scott Hananel in Aegis Capital Corp. Firm Has Customer Complaint

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Scott Hananel (Hananel), previously associated with Aegis Capital Corp., has at least 4 disclosable events. These events include 3 customer complaints, one regulatory event, alleging that Hananel recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on March 29, 2022.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Hananel consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he engaged in excessive and unsuitable trading in customer accounts. The findings stated that because Hananel decided which stocks to trade in his customers\\u2019 accounts and when to trade them, and exercised discretionary authority in connection with some of the trades in the accounts, he controlled the volume and frequency of trading in, and therefore exercised de facto control over, his customers\\u2019 accounts. Hananel\\u2019s short term trading in the customers\\u2019 accounts was excessive and unsuitable given the customers\\u2019 investment profiles, generating significant losses and trading costs in the form of commissions, markups and markdowns. In total, the customers, some of whom were senior citizens, paid commissions and trading costs of $1,473,118.00 and incurred losses of $2,103,176. The findings also stated that Hananel exercised discretionary trading authority in customer accounts without having obtained prior written authorization from the customers or approval from his member firm to treat the accounts as discretionary.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker David Stevens in Firm Park Avenue Securities LLC

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker David Stevens (Stevens), previously associated with Park Avenue Securities LLC, has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Stevens recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on March 21, 2022.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Stevens consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he submitted multiple life insurance applications for a customer, worth $23,950,000, and submitted applications for multiple loans on the policies, totaling approximately $1,000,000. The findings stated that when questioned by his member firm about the customer\\u2019s policies and loans, Stevens submitted two letters regarding the customer\\u2019s reasons for taking out the policies and loans, one purportedly from the customer\\u2019s estate attorney and the other purportedly from the customer\\u2019s accountant. Neither letter was genuine, but rather, Stevens created and falsified both letters prior to submitting them to the firm.

Broker Jeffrey Weiner in Pruco Securities, LLC. Firm Has Customer Complaint

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Jeffrey Weiner (Weiner), previously associated with Pruco Securities, LLC., has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Weiner recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on March 31, 2022.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Weiner consented to the sanctions and to the entry of findings that he impersonated nine customers of his former member firm employer, during 19 telephone calls to the former firm’s insurance affiliate (the Carrier) to obtain information about the customers’ existing variable life insurance policies. The findings stated that Weiner impersonated the customers to facilitate the transfer of their policies from his former firm to his new firm, and ultimately four of them became Weiner’s customers at the new firm. Although the nine customers gave Weiner permission to obtain their information from the Carrier, the customers did not authorize Weiner to impersonate them.

There are Recent Customer Complaints with Broker Dennis Riordan in Firm Wynston Hill Capital, LLC

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Dennis Riordan (Riordan), previously associated with Wynston Hill Capital, LLC, has at least 4 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, 3 regulatory events, alleging that Riordan recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on April 01, 2022.

Riordan failed to response to an Order to Show Cause and Order of Summary Suspension issued December 7, 2021.

Broker Michael Beebe in LPL Financial LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Michael Beebe (Beebe), previously associated with LPL Financial LLC, has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Beebe recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on April 13, 2022.

Respondent Beebe failed to respond to FINRA requests for information.

Broker Peter Fetherston in Aegis Capital Corp. Firm Has Customer Complaint

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Peter Fetherston (Fetherston), previously associated with Aegis Capital Corp., has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Fetherston recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint on May 03, 2022.

Fetherston was named a respondent in a FINRA complaint alleging that he converted and misused customer funds. The complaint alleges that Fetherston induced two customers, a married couple, to write him three checks totaling $89,000 by falsely representing to them that they owed him commissions and that he would use a portion of the funds to purchase additional investments in their account at his member firm. The customers did not owe Fetherston any commissions, and Fetherston never invested any of the funds on their behalf. Instead, Fetherston deposited the checks into his personal bank account and spent the funds on personal expenses, including paying off significant debt. The complaint also alleges that Fetherston falsely stated that the customers gave him the funds to help him pay his medical bills and expenses. Then, Fetherston provided FINRA with a handwritten note, purportedly drafted and signed by the customers, stating that they gave Fetherston three checks totaling $89,000 to help him to pay his medical expenses and associated costs. The customers, however, neither wrote nor signed any such note, and they did not give Fetherston any funds to help him pay his medical expenses and associated costs. In addition, Fetherston falsely testified that the customers gave him the money for medical expenses and other associated costs, and that the customers wrote and signed the handwritten note. The complaint further alleges that Fetherston failed to respond to a written request for information. Fetherston provided a partial response to FINRA’s request, but the response was incomplete because he failed to identify the medical expenses that he paid with the money obtained from the customers.

Broker Michael Leahy in First Standard Financial Company LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Michael Leahy (Leahy), previously associated with First Standard Financial Company LLC, has at least 5 disclosable events. These events include 2 customer complaints, 3 regulatory events, alleging that Leahy recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on April 12, 2022.

Respondent Leahy failed to comply with an arbitration award or settlement agreement or to satisfactorily respond to a FINRA request to provide information concerning the status of compliance.

Broker Paul Koch in RBC Capital Markets, LLC Firm Has Customer Complaint

January 14, 2026 | by Staff Attorney

According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) financial Broker Paul Koch (Koch), previously associated with RBC Capital Markets, LLC, has at least 2 disclosable events. These events include one customer complaint, one regulatory event, alleging that Koch recommended unsuitable investments in different investment products including debt securities among other allegations and complaints.

FINRA BrokerCheck shows a final customer complaint on March 16, 2022.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Koch consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that he refused to provide documents and information requested by FINRA in connection with its investigation into an amended Form U5 filed by Koch\\u2019s member firm disclosing allegations that he recommended risky and unsuitable investments in various outside business ventures where his wife was a partial owner, and that Koch and his wife diverted funds from the outside investments and accounts for their personal gain. The findings stated that although Koch initially cooperated with FINRA\\u2019s investigation, he ceased doing so.