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Articles Posted in Problem Brokers

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Can I Sue My Financial Advisor for Elder Abuse?

Financial exploitation of the elderly by a financial advisor can take many shapes and forms, and it is indeed possible to recover one’s financial losses from the broker or financial institution who carried out and supervised the misconduct.  Wrongdoing by a financial professional can be difficult to expose because it…

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Is my Financial Advisor Allowed to Trade in my Account Without my Permission?

The short answer is no. When a customer opens an investment account with a brokerage firm, he or she is typically given the option to choose between a discretionary or non-discretionary account.  A discretionary account gives the assigned broker or financial advisor the latitude, or discretion, to buy or sell…

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FINRA Bars Broker Involved in New York Pension Fund Scandal

Broker Deborah D. Kelley is allegedly one of the key figures in the $184 billion New York pension fund “pay-for-play” bribery scandal. She was reportedly arrested in December 2016 in San Francisco on charges of securities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to obstruct justice in an SEC…

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Rhode Island Financial Advisor Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Ponzi Scheme

Patrick Churchville of Rhode Island has been accused of orchestrating a $21 million Ponzi scheme and was recently sentenced to 7 years in prison by a federal judge, according to an Investment News report. Mr. Churchville is the owner and president of ClearPath Wealth Management and according to SEC’s complaint,…

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BROKER REPORT: Financial Advisor Matthew Maczko

The securities fraud attorneys at Malecki Law are interested in hearing from investors who have complaints against stockbroker Matthew Maczko.  Mr. Maczko was employed and registered with Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, a national broker-dealer out of the firm’s Oakbrook, Illinois, from February 2008 to September 2016, according to his publicly…

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FINRA Sanctions Broker James Speno

According to publicly available BrokerCheck records, James Carolan Speno (CRD#431912), a New York based securities broker, formerly associated with Morgan Stanley, was recently barred by FINRA. Attorneys at Malecki Law are interested in hearing from investors who have complaints against James Speno. Mr. Speno has spent over 45 years as…

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SEC Bars Registered Representative Ane Plate For Theft of Client Funds

AdvisorHub reported on January 23, 2017 that the SEC permanently barred Ane Plate from the securities industry for stealing from her elderly clients.  Ms. Plate was most recently registered as a broker from May 2005 to June 2014 with Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC out of the broker-dealer’s Orlando, Florida…

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Morgan Stanley Reportedly Terminates Three High Producing Brokers

It was reported by AdvisorHub on January 24, 2017 that the firm terminated three high producing brokers who were being investigated internally.  The three brokers were members of the PC Wealth Management Group. The first broker, Michael Paesano, was reported to have been terminated over “concerns” of his “exercise of discretion…

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Two Wells Fargo Brokers Barred from the Securities Industry

Wells Fargo financial advisors, David Jeremy Welty and Ane Plate have been barred from the securities industry by FINRA and the SEC, respectively, per AdvisorHUB. Both advisors were accused of stealing customer funds. Welty was alleged to have converted $8,700 for personal expenses from an account that was originally set…

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Top Wealth Managers with Questionable Records

  Forbes recently published a list of America’s Top Wealth Advisors. This list is published annually and rates thousands of advisors based on asset under their management, revenue, experience, and compliance. The Malecki Law team noticed that some top managers have several disclosure events in their BrokerCheck record. BrokerCheck is…

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