Enforcement Actions
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
PRIVATE SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS
2009
NOTE: Stipulations of Fact and Consent to Penalty (SFC); Offers of Settlement (OS); and Letters of Acceptance Waiver, and Consent (AWC) are entered into by Respondents without admitting or denying the allegations, but consent is given to the described sanctions & to the entry of findings. Additionally, for AWCs, if FINRA has reason to believe a violation has occurred and the member or associated person does not dispute the violation, FINRA may prepare and request that the member or associated person execute a letter accepting a finding of violation, consenting to the imposition of sanctions, and agreeing to waive such member's or associated person's right to a hearing before a hearing panel, and any right of appeal to the National Adjudicatory Council, the SEC, and the courts, or to otherwise challenge the validity of the letter, if the letter is accepted. The letter shall describe the act or practice engaged in or omitted, the rule, regulation, or statutory provision violated, and the sanction or sanctions to be imposed.
December 2009
Brian Joseph Hoshowski
AWC/2008012450001
Hoshowski borrowed $137,000 from his member firm’s customers without prior written notice to, or prior approval from, his member firm. Hoshowski engaged in private securities transactions and failed to provide prior written notification to the firm. The aggregate value of all notes sold totaled approximately $1.06 million.

Hoshowski failed to respond to a FINRA request to provide testimony.
Brian Joseph Hoshowski: Barred
Tags: Borrowing  
Eldredge participated in private securities transactions without giving prior written notice to,or obtaining prior written approval from, his member firms.With respect to one of those private securities transactions, Eldredge’s investment recommendation was unsuitable in that the customer funded the transaction by mortgaging his personal residence. Eldredge engaged in outside business activities without providing prompt written notice to one of his member firms.Eldredge failed to provide FINRA with requested documents.
David Richard Eldredge (Principal): Barred
Acting on the firm’s behalf, Fischer
  • approved registered representatives’ participation away from the firm in raising capital for a company by selling its stock, but imposed conditions on their participation and required that the stock certificates not bear restrictive legends;
  • failed to take reasonable steps to monitor or determine compliance with these conditions, including conducting an inquiry of “red flags” that suggested violations of federal securities laws; and
  • Fischer failed to detect and prevent the representatives’ distribution of unregistered securities in their capacity as underwriters.
Although Fischer was aware these transactions constituted private securities transactions for compensation, he did not cause the firm to record the transactions on its books and records and supervise them as if they were firm transactions. Further, Fischer failed to supervise the registered representatives in a manner reasonably  designed to achieve compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Acting through Fischer, the Firm failed to supervise and record the representatives’ private securities transactions.

First Financial Equity Corporation: Censured; Fined $20,000

George Edward Fischer: Fined $20,000; Suspended 15 business days in Principal capacity only

Bill Singer's Comment

As holiday time nears, pass around the fruitcake, enjoy the egg nog, and pull out your festive AML policies and procedures and make sure that they are fully implemented and being followed.  You should also cross-reference your WSPs to make sure that there aren't any differences.

Also, FINRA is apparently on a tear about fraudulent private placements.  Make sure that you have a comprehensive punch-list for such offerings, and be particularly attentive for improperly extended mini-max offerings, non-compliant escrow accounts, and receiving payments directly to the firm from customers.

Leggett engaged in private securities transactions with member firm customers and failed to give written notice to, and receive written acknowledgment from, his member firm. Leggett inaccurately answered questions on his firm’s questionnaires regarding his outside business activities.
Raymond Francis Leggett III: Fined $5,000; Suspended 6 months
November 2009
Craig William Hansen
AWC/2009017804701
Hansen engaged in a private securities transaction for compensation, and failed to provide prior written notice to, or obtain prior written approval fromhismember firm.
Craig William Hansen: Fined $5,000; Ordered to pay restitution to customer of $1,000 plus intrest; Suspended 1 month in all capacities
October 2009
David M. Sohn
AWC/2008012988801
Sohn engaged in private securities transactions for compensation, and failed to provide his member firm with written or oral notice, and failed to obtain the firm’s approval to engage in such activity. Sohn failed to respond to FINRA requests for additional information and documentation. 
David M. Sohn: Barred
Jared Scott Friedman
AWC/2009017804501
Friedman engaged in a private securities transaction without prior written notice to, or prior written approval from, his member firm, and received a referral fee as compensation. Friedman failed to timely and completely respond to a FINRA request for information. 
Jared Scott Friedman: Fined $15,000; Ordered to pay $500, plus interest, in restitution to a customer; Suspended 7 months in all capacities.
Michael Kipland Czerny
AWC/2007010642101
Czerny participated in private securities transactions and failed to give prior written notice to his member firm of the proposed transactions and failed to receive his firm’s prior written approval to engage in the transactions. 
Michael Kipland Czerny: Fined $5,000; FINRA did not impose disgorgement because Czerny had already paid the customer $150,000, which exceeds the amount of his financial gain; Suspended 1 year
Randy Lee Inserra
AWC/2007010792801
Inserra engaged in a private security transaction for compensation, and failed to provide his member firm with prior written notice of his role in this transaction and did not receive his firm’s written approval or acknowledgement of his role in this transaction.
Randy Lee Inserra: Fined $100,000; Suspended 1 year
Del Toro recommended and effected securities purchases to a customer that were unsuitable in light of the customer’s age and financial condition, and received $76,650 in commissions from the investment. Del Toro engaged in private securities transactions and failed to provide written notice to his member firms describing in detail the proposed transactions, his role therein and stating whether he had received, or would receive, selling compensation in connection with the transactions. Del Toro guaranteed the customer in writing against loss
Sergio M. Del Toro (Principal): Barred
September 2009
Airey participated in private securities transactions without prior written notice to, or prior written approval from, his member firm. 
Christopher Scott Airey (Supervisor): Fined $5,000; Suspended 3 months
Derek Roy Kent
AWC/2007008911201

Kent 

  • participated in private securities transactions, received compensation for his participation, failed to provide his member firm with prior written notice, and failed to receive the firm’s prior written approval;
  • engaged in outside business activities and failed to provide his firmwith prompt written notice. 
  • negligently failed to advise investors and firm customers of material facts concerning a real estate venture and his involvement; specifically, that proceeds from the venture were to be applied towards defaulted bank loans for which he was personally liable.
Derek Roy Kent: Barred
Piyush Manubhai Patel
AWC/2009017804601
Patel engaged in private securities transactions without prior written notice to, or prior written approval from, his member firm. Patel sent and received business-related emails from firm customers at his personal (non-firm) email address and then deleted the emails to avoid detection, without providing copies to the firm.
Piyush Manubhai Patel: Barred
Yamashiro engaged in private securities transactions and did not provide written notice to, or receive prior approval from, his member firm.
Steven Boyle Yamashiro (Principal): Barred
August 2009
Darrel Gideon Kluge
AWC/2008012186401
Kluge engaged in an outside business activity, for compensation, without prompt written notice to his member firm, and also participated in private securities transactions, for no compensation, and failed to provide his member firm with written notice of the transactions and did not receive the firm’s approval to participate in the transactions. 
Darrel Gideon Kluge: Fined $15,000; Suspended 1 year
Gail Sylvenia Frick
AWC/2008013428001
Frick engaged in outside business activities and private securities transactions without prior written notice to her member firm. Frick was provided a money order by a customer in order to open an account at her member firm on behalf of the customer’s children, misplaced the money order and, in an attempt to settle the customer’s potential complaint in this matter, deposited $1,100 of her own personal funds into an account at her firm for the benefit of the customer’s children without notifying the customer or the firm. Frick used the funds she had previously deposited into the account to purchase mutual funds for the account without the customer’s knowledge, authorization or consent.
Gail Sylvenia Frick: Fined $25,000; Suspended 15 months
Bill Singer's Comment
Talk about the kitchen sink: OBA, PST, Undisclosed settlement, and unauthorized purchase. Frankly, the sanction struck me as a bit generous --- Frick either had a good lawyer or got to FINRA on a good day.

If I have one quibble, it's that I don't think FINRA is on particularly sound ground if it cites an RR for the undisclosed settlement of a complaint if there isn't an actual complaint but merely a "potential" complaint (there we go again with those troublesome adjectives and adverbs). All customers have potential complaints about virtually everything. Likely, Frick "anticipated" that the customer would complain about the misplaced money order, but that's not the same thing as charging her with the undisclosed settlement of an actual complaint. What happened here is that a money order (apparently for $1,100) was lost and rather than ask the customer to provide a replacement, Frick simply went out of her own pocket to cover the funds. No...that doesn't make her actions right but it does put them in a far different light than describing the underlying conduct as settling a customer complaint. We need to be particularly precise when drafting regulatory opinions because they are often used to support sanctions to be imposed in other similar cases.
Thomas participated in private securities transactions and received compensation, but failed to provide prior written notification to, and receive prior written permission from, the firm to participate in the private securities transactions. Thomas failed to disclose these private securities transactions when he completed the firm’s annual compliance check list. Subsequently, Thomas provided an incomplete response to a FINRA request for information, and failed to respond to subsequent requests for information and documents. 
James Richard Thomas (Principal): Barred
Brueggemann participated in private securities transactions without prior written notice to, and prior written approval from, his member firm. Brueggemann failed to provide his member firm with written notice of outside business activities and failed to respond to FINRA requests for information. 
Jan Lynn Brueggemann: Fined $25,000; Suspended 1 year; Barred in all capacities
Stadelmann received $1.5million from members of the public to purchase privately held companies’ stock but used the funds for other purposes. Stadelmann engaged in private securities transactions, for compensation, without his member firm’s prior permission. Also, Stadelmann borrowed $719,000 from firm customers in violation of FINRA rules. Stadelmann failed to respond to FINRA requests for documents and to appear for an on-the-record interview. 
Jeffrey Douglas Stadelmann: Barred
Clay engaged in private securities transactions without written notice to, and approval or acknowledgement from, his member firm, and subsequently failed to respond fully to FINRA requests for information and failed to appear for an on-the-record interview
Raymond Edward Clay Sr. (Principal): Barred
REDACTED (Principal)
OS/2007007795401

REDACTED electronically affixed two customer names to three solicitor disclosure statements without their specific authority, and created an email that was purportedly received from the customer, which he forwarded along with the false disclosure statements to his member firm for processing. By creating a false disclosure statement,REDACTED caused his member firm to violate the requirements of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and, by creating the purported email, REDACTED caused his firm’s records to be inaccurate and thereby prevented it from meeting its obligation to preserve, for a period of not less than six years, the first two years in an accessible place, all records required pursuant to SEC Rule 17a-4(b)(4). 

Also, REDACTED engaged in outside business activities and private securities transactions without written notice to, or approval from, his member firm. REDACTED failed to respond to FINRA requests for documents and information. 

REDACTED (Principal): Barred
Kaeser engaged in an outside business activity and failed to give prompt written notice to his member firm. Kaeser participated in private securities transactions without first providing written notice to his firm.
Roland Karl Kaeser (Principal): Fined $15,000; Suspended 1 year
Walker engaged in private securities transactions without prior written notice to his member firm.
Stephen Wayne Walker (Principal): Barred
July 2009
Guy William Gane Jr.
OS/2006006147001
Gane participated in private securities transactions involving the sale of $3.8 million of convertible debentures issued by affiliated entities he controlled, without prior written notice to, or prior approval from, his member firms. Gane failed to appear for a FINRA on-the-record interview. 
Guy William Gane Jr.: Barred
Robert Michael Bonner
AWC/2007011402701
While registered with member firms, Bonner engaged in outside business activities, for compensation, without prompt written notice to the firms. Bonner completed an Outside Activities Disclosure Form, which one firm required, and did not disclose his outside business activities. Also,  Bonner engaged in private securities transactions, for compensation, without prompt written notice to, and approval from, his member firms. Bonner borrowed $900,000 from firm customers when firm procedures prohibited such borrowing.
Robert Michael Bonner: Barred
Cline engaged in private securities transactions without prior written notice to, or prior approval from, hismember firm. The findings stated that Cline engaged in outside business activities without prompt written notice to his firm. Cline provided false information about his private securities transactions and outside business activities on firm compliance questionnaires. 
William Edward Cline (Principal): Barred
June 2009

Weaver and Will participated in private securities transactions, for compensation, in the sale of securities issued by another firm and did not provide prior written notice to, or receive prior approval from, their member firm. They incorrectly answered “no”when asked on required annual compliance questionnaires whether they had ever been paid or received a referral or finder’s fee from anyone for referring securities clients and/or business. 

Randy Brian Weaver: No fine in light of financial status; Suspended 9 months

Richard Lance Will: No fine in light of financial status; Suspended 8 months

May 2009
Corbin Taylor Jones
2006004969704
Jones participated in a private securities transaction without prior notice to his member firm and failed to respond to FINRA requests for information and to appear for on-the-record interviews
Corbin Taylor Jones: Barred
Michael Dean Reysack
AWC/2008013269801
Reysack engaged in private securities transactions outside the scope of his employment with his member firm and without providing prior written notice to, or receiving written approval or acknowledgment from, his member firm of his role in the transactions. Reysack had previously disclosed his involvement in a real estate venture to the firm and the firm approved this activity, but cautioned him not to solicit other individuals to invest in his real estate venture. 
Michael Dean Reysack: Fined $10,000; Suspended 6 months
Michael Vincent Davies
AWC/2007011285101
Davis engaged in private securities transactions and failed to give prior written notice to, or receive prior written approval from, his member firm. 
Michael Vincent Davies: Fined $5,000; Suspended 6 months
April 2009
Carlos Manuel Bravo
OS/2007011272601
Bravo engaged in private securities transactions, for compensation, without prompt written notice to, or prior written approval from, his member firm.
Carlos Manuel Bravo: No fine in light of financial status; Suspended 20 business days in all capacities

Acting through Dash, Hallmark 

  • filed a membership application that was incomplete or inaccurate so as to be misleading, and failed to correct the filing, and T
  • failed to file a required application with FINRA for approval of change of ownership. 

Dash engaged in private securities transactions without providing prior written notice to his member firms or securing the firms’ written approval. 

Hallmark Investments, Inc.: Censured; Fined $15,000

Steven Gary Dash (Principal) No Fine in light of financial status; Suspended 2 months in all capacities

Kavanaugh engaged in a private securities transaction without providing written notification to, and receiving written approval from, his member firm. 
Jason Patrick Kavanaugh (Principal): Fined $10,000
Jeff David Jewett
AWC/2007008994701
Jewett participated in private securities transactions, for compensation, without prior written notice to, or prior written approval from, his member firm. 
Jeff David Jewett: Fined $15,000 (includes $5,000 disgorgement); Suspended 18 months in all capacities
Pickle engaged in a private securities transaction and failed to give prior written notice to, or receive written approval from, his member firm. He also engaged in outside business activities, for compensation, without prompt written notice to his member firm. Pickle denied receipt of outside compensation when his member firms pecifically asked him. 
Phillip Alan Pickle (Principal): Fined $10,000; Suspended 9 months in all capacities
February 2009
Because I find FINRA's write-up of this case amusing, I have reprinted the monthly report verbatim:

Gabriela Frances Burse (CRD #1910360, Registered Principal, Orlando, Florida)

submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which she was barred from

association with any FINRA member in any capacity. Without admitting or denying the

findings, Burse consented to the described sanction and to the entry of findings that

she participated in private securities transactions involving a fraudulent pyramid

scheme in the form of investment contracts, without prior written notice to, or written

permission from, her member firm.

Bill Singer's Comment
 (Dripping with intended sarcasm)  Okay, so let me see if I get this one.  Burse participated in a "fraudulent pyramid scheme." Okay, got that. And FINRA's problem is that she did so "without prior written notice to, or written permission from, her member firm"?????

I guess Burse could have avoided this mess if she sent a simple, letter --- oh, no, please, let me write that for you:

Dear Member Firm:

I intend to participate in a fraudulent pyramid scheme in the form of investment contracts.  This letter should constitute my formal, prior written notice to you.  I am seeking your permission to further this fraud.

Sincerely,

Gabriela Frances Burse.

Meyer participated in a private securities transaction, for compensation, and failed to give prior written notice to, and receive written approval from, his member firm. The sanction was based on findings that Meyer failed to appear for a FINRA on-the-record interview. 
Glenn James Meyer (Principal): Barred
January 2009
Jacobs failed to properly supervise the private securities transactions of registered representatives at his member firm and failed to ensure that the transactions were recorded on the firm’s books and records. 
Alan Lawrence Jacobs (Principal): Fined $10,000; Suspended 30 business days in Principal capacities only.
Bill Singer's Comment
Although Private Securities Transactions are quite common, I've posted this case because it provides a rare example of a Principal being sanctioned for failing to supervise such activities.
Bobby Glenn James
AWC/2007007663902
James participated in private securities transactions outside the regular course and scope of his employment relationship with his member firms and did not provide written notice to, or obtain written approval from, his firms prior to engaging in the offer and sale of limited partnerships.
Bobby Glenn James: Fined $20,000; Suspended 6 months in all capacities
Robinson participated in private securities transactions without prior written notice to, and prior written approval from, his member firm; and failed to respond to FINRA requests for information.
James Jay Robinson Jr.: Barred
Noah James Aulwes
AWC/2007009254101
Aulwes engaged in outside business activity, for compensation, without prompt written notice to his member firm. Aulwes participated in private securities transactions without prior written notice to, and written approval or acknowledgement from, his member firm. 
Noah James Aulwes: Fined $10,000; Suspended 1 year in all capacities
Bruns engaged in private securities transactions, for compensation, without prior written notice to, or prior written approval from, his member firm. 
Patrick Allen Bruns (Principal): No fine in light of financial status; Suspended 6 months.
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