RRBDLAW.com

Enforcement Actions
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
CASES OF NOTE
2011
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 2011
Alan Stuart Pattee
AWC/2010023232101/December 2011
Patel forged homeowner signatures on uniform mitigation verification inspection forms (UMVI forms) in connection with inspections performed by a qualified inspector regarding construction information; the form is submitted to the homeowner’s insurance company in connection with insurance pricing.Pattee forged the signatures to accommodate his clients, who were either not at home at the time of the inspection or were his longtime clients

Pattee acted as an officer for a company formed to conduct inspections to determine homeowner policy premiums, for compensation, without providing prompt written notice to his member firm for this outside business activity

Pattee completed securities annual compliance online certifications for his firm representing that he had complied with the requirements of NASD Rule 3030 and for the certifications, certified that no changes were needed to his Form U4 or that he had requested appropriate changes to the Form U4 regarding outside business activities.
Alan Stuart Pattee: Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Annual Compliance Certification     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Amir Aqeel
OS/2008012703401/December 2011
In completing life insurance policy applications, Aqeel placed fictitious electronic funds transfer account numbers on the accounts of customer applicants that he knew were incorrect and submitted the applications for further processing; the fictitious numbers were actually variations of Aqeel’s personal checking account number. Aqeel forged two customers’signatures on electronic signature authorization forms, bank authorization forms and/or acknowledgement forms, in completing their life insurance policy applications, without their knowledge or authorization.

Based on the submission of the applications, Aqeel received credit towards his compensation; the policies subsequently lapsed due to invalid account numbers

Aqeel created a credit guarantee document purporting to be a fully executed and authenticsurety bond for $12,500,000 by including fictitious information, and used the documentin an attempt to secure funding for the development, ownership and management of a hotel project by an entity, and Aqeel was paid approximately $155,000 as a finder’s fee

Aqeel failed to timely respond to FINRA requests to appear for on-the-record testimony
Amir Aqeel: Suspended 2 years
Tags:  Signature    Life Insurance    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Danny Wayne Thomason
AWC/2010024090501/December 2011
Thomason forged customers’ signatures on insurance-related documents without their knowledge or authorization. 
Danny Wayne Thomason: Fined $5,000; Suspended 4 months
Tags:  Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Scott Andreu Roges
AWC/2010024280601/December 2011
Roges falsified a customer’s signature without the customer’s knowledge or consent in an attempt to correct the customer’s social security number and beneficiary’s birth date on an amendment to a fixed life insurance policy. The member firm’s WSPs specifically prohibited registered representatives from falsifying and/or forging customers’ signatures on transaction documents and/or other documents
Scott Andreu Roges: Fined $5,000; Suspended 30 days
Tags:  Life Insurance    Forgery    Signature     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
October 2011
Miguel Alex Rosas
AWC/2010024396001/October 2011

 Rosas wrongfully converted a customer’s funds totaling $14,000 for his personal use by submitting withdrawal requests he forged to his member firm and an annuity company without the customer’s knowledge or consent. Rosas completed and forged other customers’ signatures on variable annuity withdrawal forms and submitted them to annuity companies, without the customers’ knowledge or consent, in an effort to convert funds totaling $45,000 from the customers’ variable annuity accounts for his personal use. 

As indicated on these forms, the funds were to be made payable to a limited liability company for which Rosas was the president and CEO. One of the annuity companies cancelled the withdrawal requests and the other annuity company placed stop payments on the checks that were issued.

Miguel Alex Rosas: Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Variable Annuity     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
September 2011
Andrew George Spotts
2009018661801/September 2011

Spotts wrongfully misappropriated approximately $197,860 from a coworker at his member firm by taking blank personal checks belonging to the coworker and forged the coworker’s name on the checks without the coworker’s knowledge or authorization. Spotts made some of the checks payable to himself and deposited the checks into his personal account, or made the checks payable to credit card companies and other creditors to pay his personal bills.

Spotts failed to appear and testify at an onthe- record interview.

Andrew George Spotts: Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Checks    Credit Cards     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
He probably went into the office refrigerator and stole his coworkers' lunches on occasion too. Watta jerk.
David John Klecka Jr. (Principal)
OS/2010021189601/September 2011

Klecka created a non-genuine email purporting to be from the Arizona Department of Insurance (AZ DOI) regarding the agency’s investigation into Klecka’s activities at his former firm, and then provided a copy of the email to the member firm with which he was associated.

Klecka’s firm commenced an internal investigation of Klecka concerning questionable business activities related to his sale of life insurance policies. During the course of the firm’s review, it was learned that Klecka was the subject of an investigation being conducted by the state regarding activities that occurred while Klecka was associated with another member firm.

Klecka forwarded an email from his personal email address to his managing director at the firm --the forwarded email was purportedly from the state insurance department, which contained a timeline documenting Klecka’s contact with the agency, and the email bore what appeared to be the typed signature of an investigator with the AZ DOI. However, Klecka subsequently admitted that he was not truthful on the dates and fabricated the email to lead his firm to believe that the state investigation was more recent than it actually was. The forged document provided an explanation for Klecka’s failure to disclose the investigation to the firm earlier than he did.

The firm subsequently terminated Klecka for, among other reasons, creating a non-genuine email purporting to be from the AZ DOI regarding its investigation into Klecka’s activities at his former firm. In addition, Klecka failed to appear for a FINRA on-the-record interview.

David John Klecka Jr. (Principal): Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Email     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Marilyn Geen Martindell
AWC/2009020518901/September 2011

Martindell forged the signatures of her immediate supervisor and of her branch manager at her member firm.

Martindell signed the name of her supervisor, a firm financial advisor, to firm documents titled “Advice of Trade” letters without the financial advisor’s authorization or consent and mailed the letters to the customers involved; each of these letters informed a firm customer of trades that had been effected in that customer’s account.

Martindell signed her branch manager’s name to an internal firm form authorizing the transfer of funds and securities from the account of a customer to a joint account held by the customer and the customer’s relative. Martindell signed the branch manager’s name on another internal firm form that memorialized the multiple names that another customer could use in signing documents related to his account.

Martindell completed an IRA distribution form for her own account in order to access funds held in that account and Martindell again signed her branch manager’s name on this form. In addition, Martindell signed the branch manager’s name on these forms without his authorization or consent, and submitted the forms for further processing.

Marilyn Geen Martindell : Fined $10,000; Suspended 6 months
Tags:  Forgery    Signature     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
July 2011
Andrew Joseph Franz
AWC/2010025073601/July 2011

Without authorization, Franz took possession of checks payable to the investment adviser firm where he was employed, deposited the checks, which totaled about $21,000, to a personal bank account, and converted a portion of the funds to his own use and benefit.

Franz was the broker of record for a money market mutual fund account that an investor owned, and while the investor was out of state and without his knowledge or authorization, Franz contacted the mutual fund company multiple times and instructed it to issue checks to the investor drawn against his money market account. The mutual fund company issued checks payable to the investor totaling about $271,250 and mailed them to the investor’s residence in Ohio.

Franz obtained possession of the checks at the investor’s residence and, without the investor’s knowledge or authorization, Franz forged his signature on the checks, deposited the checks to a personal bank account and converted a portion of the funds to his own use and benefit and remitted the rest to the investor.

Andrew Joseph Franz : Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Investment Advisor    Mutual Funds    Conversion     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment

The frightening part of this is how easy it all was -- and how few meaningful safeguards appear to exist.  I mean, seriously, what could you reasonably do to prevent an RR from going to a customer's home, stealing his mail, forging his signature, and converting the proceeds?

Jose Luis Vinas
2009017198901/July 2011

Vinas converted approximately $3.3 million from customers, mostly Mexico-based, while he was associated with member firms and served as the registered representative responsible for these customers’ brokerage accounts.

Vinas asked customers to sign blank documents, including firm documents that were printed in English when none of the customers spoke or read English, but they complied with Vinas’ request.

A variable credit line account was opened at Vinas’ firm in the customers’ name, and Vinas submitted or caused to be submitted applications requesting increases in the credit line that the firm approved, but the customers had not authorized the opening of the credit account or the subsequent credit increases, nor were they aware of the existence of the credit account. Vinas forged, or caused to be forged, customer signatures on Letters of Authorization (LOAs) and had a customer sign blank LOAs, which he submitted to his firm purportedly authorizing the transfer of customer funds without these customers’ authorization or knowledge. Vinas submitted, or caused to be submitted, to another member firm fraudulent verbal LOAs without the customers’ authorization or knowledge, which allowed him to wire funds from the customers’ accounts. In addition, Vinas presented false account documents to the customers, which reflected fictitious account balances although he had closed the account after taking the last remaining funds from the account.

Vinas failed to respond to FINRA requests to appear and provide testimony.

Jose Luis Vinas : Barred
Tags:  Forgery    LOA     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment

$3.3 Million?  Breathtaking!  Of course, there's just one teeny-weenie issue that I have. If the customers' New Account Forms all reflected that they were Mexican residents, then why didn't the member firm provide documents in Spanish or obtain direct confirmation that the customers understood the English-only materials?  Apparently these were some relatively high-net worth individuals because several million dollars was pilfered from their accounts.

Perhaps a good compliance practice would be to send a letter to the customer in their native language confirming their authorization to use English-only documents and to confirm to them before initiating account activity that your brokerage firm has received the following inventory of executed documents authorizing the following account activity. And don't send that letter in English because it will defeat the whole purpose of communicating the issues to the customers.

Stephen James Nicklas
AWC/2010025194301/July 2011
Nicklas misappropriated $4,329.52 from his member firm. Nicklas wrote firm checks payable to himself, forged signatures on the checks and then deposited the checks into his personal trading account. Nicklas withdrew firm funds, without authorization, from automatic teller machines (ATMs)
Stephen James Nicklas: Barred
Tags:  Checks    ATM    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Thomas Michael Kinser
2009017466201/July 2011
Kinser converted approximately $330,000 in customer’s funds. Kinser called the mutual fund company through which he had invested customer’s funds to change the address on the account from the customer’s residential address to Kinser’s office address. At Kinser’s request, the mutual fund company sent redemption checks drawn on the customer’s account to Kinser without the customer’s knowledge, consent or authorization, and Kinser forged the customer’s signature on the checks, endorsed them to make them payable to him and deposited the funds in his own account. In order to conceal the conversions, Kinser fabricated account summaries and documents, including charts and statements purporting to reflect the customer’s account balance, which he presented to the customer in periodic meetings, misleading the customer into believing all of his money was still invested in mutual funds and was still earning interest. Kinser failed to respond to FINRA requests for information and documents.
Thomas Michael Kinser: Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Mutual Funds     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
June 2011
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
AWC/2008013648002/June 2011

Ameriprise failed to establish, maintain and enforce a supervisory system reasonably designed to detect and prevent one of its broker’s misconduct. The broker who was registered with the firm forged customers’ signatures on various financial documents that he submitted to the firm for processing. The broker agreed to pay certain fees for customers without alerting the firm in order to avoid complaints from these customers. The broker agreed to a Bar.

An Ameriprise surveillance analyst became aware of potential forgeries by the broker and failed to follow up with a timely investigation, and the firm’s supervisory system did not ensure that a timely investigation was conducted.

The firm had implemented a new set of procedures for its surveillance department through which the firm discovered that the investigation of the broker had not been completed, and the firm promptly reassigned the matter to other surveillance personnel.  The firm completed its investigation of the broker nearly two and a half years after it first opened the investigation and found ample evidence of repeated forgeries by the broker, whose employment was then terminated.

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. : Censured; Fined $50,000
Tags:  Forgery    Supervision     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
You just can't take 2 1/2 years to investigate forgery allegations -- and then think that a termination of the broker is the end of it. A lousy $50,000 fine on a member firm such as Ameriprise is hardly calculated to underscore the seriousness of such a lackadaisacal compliance effort.
Carla Wendy Cooper
AWC/2010023825201/June 2011
Cooper forged a LOA for a customer by copying the customer’s signature from another document and pasting it on the LOA. Cooper used the forged LOA to authorize the transfer of assets from the customer’s account into another customer’s account, which was a trust account Cooper’s relatives’ controlled. Based on the forged LOA, Cooper’s member firm transferred securities valued at $19,632.35 from the customer’s account into the other account without the customer’s knowledge or authorization.
Carla Wendy Cooper : Barred
Tags:  Forgery    LOA     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Joseph Stephen Orendorff
2009016698303/June 2011

Orendorff failed to respond to FINRA requests to appear for an on-the-record interview.

Further, Orendorff, in an attempt to correct errors made on a customer’s signed asset transfer disclosure form that his firm had returned to him for correction and resubmission obtained the customer’s signature on a blank asset transfer disclosure form, affixed the customer’s signature from the blank form to revised forms and submitted the forms to his member firm instead of having the customer sign a corrected form. When the firm questioned Orendorff about the documents, he admitted to altering and submitting them. Thereafter, the firm terminated Orendorff’s employment because the firm prohibited its representatives from affixing signatures to documents and required original signatures on each form.

Joseph Stephen Orendorff : Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Signature     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
An all too common story that underscores the maxim: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. No matter how annoying or inconvenient, just get the customer's signature on the original.  If you engage in self help and get caught, it ain't gonna end pretty.
Michael Wayne Evans
OS/2009017222501/June 2011

Evans converted securities and funds in the joint brokerage account of customers, without their knowledge, authorization or consent, and deposited the funds into his personal checking account, converting an aggregate total of $60,000

Evans forged a customer’s signature on checks linked to the customers’ bank account and made the checks payable to “cash” or to himself. Evans forged the customer’s signature on a cash withdrawal form linked to the customers’ bank account. Without the customers’ knowledge, authorization or consent, Evans sold securities totaling $30,000 from their brokerage account, transferred $10,000 to their bank deposit account and applied $10,000 to their brokerage account margin balance.

Evans failed to respond to FINRA requests for a signed, written statement regarding its investigation.

Michael Wayne Evans : No restitution sought by FINRA because Evan's former firm reimbursed full losses; Barred. NOTE: Evans reimbursed his former firm approximately $47,000 of the $60,000 that he misappropriated from the customers and is in the process of earning the remaining $13,000.
Tags:  Checks    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Robert Joseph Oftring (Principal)
AWC/2009019996501/June 2011

Oftring was responsible for supervising a former registered representative of his member firm and failed to take appropriate action to reasonably supervise her to detect and prevent her violations and achieve compliance with applicable rules in connection with a customer’s account. Among other things, Oftring failed to take reasonable steps to follow up on certain indications of potential misconduct that should have alerted him to the representative’s violations.

The representative engaged in excessive, short-term trading in the customer’s account, which resulted in losses of approximately $60,000; the account was subject to frequent margin calls and transfers from a third-party account to satisfy margin calls in the account, and once, the representative transferred funds back to the third-party account by forging the customer’s signature on an LOA.

Oftring was aware of

  • the active trading in the customer’s account and knew that the representative was effecting securities transactions in the account while it had a negative balance, but he never stopped the representative from trading and never contacted the customer to discuss the activity; and
  • and approved the transfer of funds between the customer’s account and the third-party account, and accepted the representative’s explanation for the same without contacting the customers involved in the transfers.
Robert Joseph Oftring (Principal): FIned $5,000; Suspended 6 months in Principal capacity only
Tags:  Supervision    LOA    Margin    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
Although I'm not often a fan of these failure-to-supervise cases because they too frequently involve the luxury of hindsight, this one strikes me as having merit.  Frankly, given the red flags, I would have expected at least a call to the customers to confirm that everything's okay. While it may often be acceptable to ask the registered person for his/her explanation, sometimes you simply have to take that extra step and talk to the client.
May 2011
Cesar Madrigal
2009019322001/May 2011
Madrigal misappropriated $102,054.55 from customers’ bank accounts by using forged customer signatures on partial withdrawal general ledger tickets. Madrigal admitted to his member that he had engaged in this misconduct but then failed to respond to FINRA requests for information.
Cesar Madrigal: Barred
Tags:  Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Registered Rep
AWC/2010021348101/May 2011

RR falsely prepared a letter on the letterhead of one of his member firm’s institutional customers without the customer’s or firm’s knowledge or authorization. RR addressed the letter to the customer’s plan vendor, directing the plan vendor to change the commission split on the customer’s 457 plan to reflect that RR would receive a 100 percent commission; originally, the customer’s plan revenue reflected a commission split of 96 percent to RR and 4 percent to another registered representative.

RR’s member firm agreed to have commission revenues flow solely to him in the short term after the other registered representative resigned, but advised him that he needed to obtain a letter from the customer acknowledging his role as the sole broker of record due to the other registered representative’s resignation. The letter purportedly authorized RR to receive 100 percent of the commission from the plan revenue, and RR forged the signature of the customer’s plan controller without her knowledge or authorization. RR’s firm policy prohibits a registered representative from signing a customer’s signature to any paperwork, regardless of whether the customer has given permission to do so, and prohibits a registered representative from signing a client’s name on any form, with or without the client’s authorization.

Registered Rep: Fined $5,000; Suspended 5 months
Tags:  Forgery    Commissions     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
I mean, seriously -- really?  Boy, is this guy lucky that he's only sitting down for 5 months.
April 2011
Charles Joseph Fiorucci
AWC/2010022424201)/April 2011
Fiorucci relocated his business from a broker-dealer in one state to a broker-dealer in another state, and during the process of moving his customer accounts, Fiorucci falsified customer signatures on new account forms and change in broker-dealer forms. These customers consented to his signing these documents on their behalf, but others did not. The firm’s written supervisory procedures specifically prohibited registered representatives from falsifying and/or forging customers’ signatures on transaction documents and/or other documents.
Charles Joseph Fiorucci : Fined $5,000; Suspended 6 months
Tags:  Forgery    Signature     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
My, what a surprise -- the firm's written supervisory procedures specifically prohibited its RRs from forgery.  I mean, seriously, does FINRA really need to get one last shot in against this guy?  Isn't it enough to note that he falsified documents and forged signatures? As if, what? those two factors wouldn't have constituted a violation but for the fact that they were also in violation of specific WSP prohibitions? Talk about gilding a lily!
Sanjeev Jayant Shah
2009017788201/April 2011

Shah made unauthorized foreign currency trades in a customer bank account, resulting in margin calls being generated for the account and consequently the customer’s other bank accounts were frozen, preventing the customer from transferring funds from those accounts. Shah made unauthorized money transfers from another customer’s bank account to satisfy, in part, the margin calls for the first client and to be able to transfer funds at its request.

In order to effect the unauthorized fund transfers, Shah forged a signature and created falsified Letters of Authorization (LOAs) by cutting a bank director’s signature from an account opening document and pasting it on a fabricated LOA. Shah fabricated documents regarding another client’s obligation to meet capital calls and falsely created a memorandum representing that the capital calls had been met.

Shah falsely told the customer’s beneficial owner that all outstanding calls had been met and to ignore notices he too was receiving. To make the memorandum appear authentic, Shah fabricated an internal email address for a fictitious employee and sent the memorandum to the beneficial owner to make him believe that the calls had been met.

Shah failed to respond to FINRA requests to provide on-the-record testimony and to provide a signed statement.

Sanjeev Jayant Shah : Barred
Tags:  FOREX    Forgery    LOA    Margin     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
I gotta give this guy some kind of award. He sure tried to juggle as many balls in the air as possible.
March 2011
Stuart Phillip Miller
AWC/2009018219101/March 2011

Miller and another individual were trainees in a member firm’s professional development program and formed a partnership through which they jointly solicited and handled customer accounts as well as splitting any production credits that either generated.

As part of their efforts to attract clients, Miller and the individual created a spreadsheet that set a model fund portfolio that they either presented to potential customers during meetings or sent by email or mail to prospective customers. Miller and the individual sent a version of their model fund portfolio that included a mix of conservative and risky securities along with a chart of history of returns the individual securities and overall portfolio earned; Miller and the individual, in some communications with potential customers, misrepresented that this was a portfolio that they managed and that the stated returns were their returns. Neither Miller nor the individual sought or received a firm supervisor’s prior approval for the use of the model fund portfolio or permission of its dissemination, nor was the model portfolio’s spreadsheet filed with FINRA’s Advertising Regulation Department, within 10 business days after first dissemination of the material as required.

The model fund portfolios did not include any information regarding the risks associated with the funds, and the chart did not include a sound basis for the performance evaluation for each of the securities included in the portfolio. The model portfolio failed to identify or to display in a prominent fashion Miller’s and the other individual’s association with their firm. In addition,

Miller had his assistant type up a stop transfer letter and he forged the customer’s signature on the letter meant to prevent the customer from transferring his account to another firm. Moreover,Miller admitted to his branch manager that he had forged the stop transfer request and the firm immediately terminated Miller’s employment.

Stuart Phillip Miller : Fined $10,000; Suspended 1 year
Tags:  Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
February 2011
Dennis O’Neal Blackstone (Principal)
2009020488001/AWC/February 2011
As the registered representative on the joint securities account of customers at his member firm, Blackstone created a false Letter of Authorization (LOA), without the customers’ knowledge or authorization, and forged their signatures to authorize a transfer of funds from their joint account at the firm to a bank account that Blackstone controlled. Based on the forged LOA, the firm wired $28,320 from the customers’ joint account to the bank account Blackstone controlled and, after receiving the funds in his bank account, Blackstone used the funds for his personal expenses.
Dennis O’Neal Blackstone (Principal): Barred
Tags:  Joint Account    LOA    Forgery    Bank     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Gregory James Buchholz
AWC/2010023931401/February 2011

Buchholz misappropriated approximately $1,350,000 from customers, a number of whom were retirees, by liquidating their variable annuities and/or mutual funds and then transferring the proceeds to his personal bank account, converting the proceeds for his own use and benefit. As part of this scheme, Buchholz falsely and fraudulently represented, at times by forging customer signatures on redemption documents, that certain customers had authorized the redemption of the securities in order to obtain the proceeds of the sale; fraudulently induced certain customers to authorize the redemption of securities, based on misrepresentations that the proceeds would be reinvested to the customers’ investment accounts; and caused checks to be drawn in the customers’ names and caused the checks to be sent directly either to his office or to the customers.

If the checks were sent directly

  • to the customers, Buchholz convinced those clients to turn the checks over to him, making false and fraudulent representations that he would deposit the funds in their securities accounts to be reinvested; however, he did not reinvest the proceeds but instead deposited the checks into his personal bank accounts and used the proceeds for his own purpose;
  • to his office, Buchholz simply deposited the checks in his own bank accounts for his personal use and sometimes forged the customers’ signatures in order to cash the checks.
Gregory James Buchholz: Barred
Tags:  Annuities    Conversion    Forgery    Checks     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
Nearly $1.4 million converted from customers, many retirees, by little more than a forged signature and converted proceeds.  Makes you wonder whether it's just too easy to circumvent Wall Street's customer-protection systems.
Randall Edgar Robinson II
AWC/2010022635301/February 2011
While serving as a licensed insurance agent, Robinson created fictitious property and casualty insurance policies in order to meet production goals with his firm’s affiliated insurance company. Robinson did so by forging customer signatures or otherwise falsifying insurance application forms and related documents. Thefirm’s affiliated insurance company paid Robinson approximately $16,000 in commissions as a result of the fictitious policies.
Randall Edgar Robinson II : Barred
Tags:  Production Quota    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Thomas Jones Charles Jr.
2008016036901/February 2011

Charles sold variable universal life insurance products to his member firm’s customers and after leaving the firm, Charles remained the assigned representative on the accounts and received modest annual “trailing commissions.” Charles’ former firm asked him to pay a “single appointment” fee of $100 to the firm or submit customer-signed “Telephone or Electronic Transaction Authorization” forms for him to continue to service the customers’ accounts. Charles chose to do neither, but when he realized the deadline was approaching, he signed the customers’ names on the authorization forms without the customers’ permission and sent them to the firm via facsimile.

One of the customers complained that Charles had not being authorized to sign her name on the authorization form; therefore, Charles’ former firm notified Charles and his present firm of the customer’s allegation and asked Charles for a written explanation. During Charles’ present firm’s investigation into the complaint, he made misstatements, verbally and in writing, to the firm, denying forging the signatures and fabricating a story to prevent the firm from discovering his misconduct. Also, Charles subsequently admitted to the firm that his alibi was false and that he signed the customers’ names without authorization.

Thomas Jones Charles Jr. : Fined $35,000; Suspended 1 year
Tags:  Variable Insurance    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
January 2011
Antonio Herrero-Rovira (Principal)
2008013833601/January 2011

Herrero-Rovira converted approximately $203,000 in customer funds by forging customers’ signatures on Letters of Authorization (LOAs) and firm checks issued pursuant to the LOAs, and depositing the checks into his personal bank account or others’ account without the customers’ knowledge or authorization.

Herrero-Rovira converted an additional $16,000 from a customer by causing a check payable to the customer in that amount to be withdrawn from the customer’s account without the customer’s knowledge or authorization, and forging the customer’s check endorsement.

Herrero-Rovira failed to respond to FINRA requests for information.

Antonio Herrero-Rovira (Principal): Barred
Tags:  Forgery    LOA    Checks     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Sharon Elsene Givens
2008014705101/January 2011
As her member firm’s bookkeeper, Associated Person Givens, had access to the firm’s checking account and forged the firm’s treasurer’s signature on checks totaling approximately $61,016.08 written against the firm’s checking account. Givens committed conversion by making the checks payable to herself, cashing the checks and using the funds for purposes other than the firm’s benefit. Because Givens reconciled the firm’s checking account, she was able to conceal the conversion of funds from the firm. In a letter to FINRA, Givens admitted that she utilized the treasurer’s name without authorization and took the firm’s funds for her personal use.
Sharon Elsene Givens: Barred
Tags:  Conversion    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Enforcement Actions
Tags


RRBDLAW.COM AND SECURITIES INDUSTRY COMMENTATOR™ COPYRIGHT © 2013 BILL SINGER