PlanMember Securities

Advisor Raymond Menna Has Multiple Public Disclosures Including Regulatory Action

April 14, 2019 | by Staff Attorney

According to BrokerCheck records financial advisor Raymond Menna (Menna), currently employed by Planmember Securities Corporation (Planmember Securities) has been subject to at least two customer complaints and one regulatory complaint. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), most of Menna’s customer complaints allege that Carver made unsuitable recommendations.

In August 2018 FINRA brought a complaint against Menna who consented to sanctions and to findings that he improperly shared in the losses of a customer. FINRA found that the value of the account of one of Menna’s customers declined to zero as a result of customer withdrawals and trading losses and Menna agreed to give the customer money on a monthly basis. Thereafter, FINRA found that Menna made monthly cash payments to the customer totalling approximately $15,000. FINRA found that Menna did not obtain prior written authorization from his member firm or the customer to make such payments.

David Scholl Sanctioned Over Sale of Fraudulent Woodbridge Mortgage Investments

July 27, 2018 | by Staff Attorney

The law offices of Gana Weinstein LLP continue to investigate the Woodbridge Group of Companies and the Woodbridge Mortgage Funds (Woodbridge). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has alleged that the Woodbridge operated a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme ensnaring about 8,400 investors. Woodbridge solicited hundreds of disreputable insurance agents and investment brokers to sell its false notes that the firm claimed to be backed by mortgages. In plain sight to regulators, Woodbridge engaged in a nationwide investment fraud by offering the sale of unregistered securities.

According to BrokerCheck records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) David Scholl (Scholl) appears to be an agent for Woodbridge fraudulent note sales. Scholl was formerly associated with Planmember Securities Corporation (Planmember) out of the firm’s Grand Rapids, Michigan office location. In December 2013, Scholl resigned from Planmember after the firm discovered his involvement with Woodbridge Mortgage. Thereafter, the State of Michigan Sanctioned Scholl finding that Scholl sold 43 Woodbridge securities in the State of Michigan which were not federally covered, exempt from registration, or registered, in violation of the securities laws.

Federal securities laws and the FINRA rules require firms to monitor and supervise its employees, like Scholl, in order to detect and prevent brokers from offering investments in this fashion. In order to properly supervise their brokers each firm is required to have procedures in order to monitor the activities of each advisor’s activities and interaction with the public. Supervisory failures allow brokers to engage in unsupervised misconduct that can include all manner improper conduct including recommending fraudulent investments.

Securities Broker Christopher Orlando Suspended Over Sale of Diversified Lending Group Promissory Notes

January 8, 2014 | by Staff Attorney

Broker Christopher Orlando (Orlando) was suspended and fined by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over allegations that Orlando participated in the sale of approximately $7,000,000 in private securities transactions of promissory notes linked to Diversified Lending Group (DLG) that were not made through his member firm PlanMember Securities Corporation (PlanMember).

FINRA alleged that between March 2007, and July 2008 Orlando marketed Secured Investment Notes in DLG (DLG Notes). According to Orlando’s public disclosures, the DLG notes were supposed to invest funds in distressed real estate and mortgage lending. Investors who filed complaints against Orlando and the brokerage firms that employed him have alleged that in reality the DLG Notes were Ponzi scheme type fraud.

Orlando marketed the DLG Notes to insurance agents and financial advisors who in tum sold the DLG Notes to investors. FINRA alleged that Orlando met with his marketing agents and provided them with information and materials about DLG Notes. In addition, Orlando referred at least eight insurance agents to DLG for training so that they would sell DLG Notes to investors. According to FINRA, Orlando was also directly involved in marketing the DLG Notes to potential investors by speaking at seminars about them.