Securities Industry Commentator by Bill Singer Esq

June 7, 2021

2Cir Affirms FINRA Arbitration Award to Jefferies of $1 Million Liquidated Damages For Aborted Employment (BrokeAndBroker.com Blog)

Indiana Woman Convicted Of Conspiracy To Commit Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, And Money Laundering In Advance-Fee Fraud Scheme Targeting Deaf And Elderly (DOJ Release)

Latvian National Charged for Alleged Role in Transnational Cybercrime Organization (DOJ Release)

SEC Announces Removal of William D. Duhnke III from the Public Company / Accounting Oversight Board; Duane M. DesParte to Serve as Acting Chair Commission to Seek Candidates for all Five Board Positions (SEC Release)

Statement on The Commission's Actions Regarding the PCAOB (by Commissioner Hester M. Peirce and Commissioner Elad L. Roisman)


FINRA Fines and Suspends Rep Over KYC Violations
In the Matter of Woong Seong Hwang, Respondent (FINRA AWC)

FINRA Fines and Suspends Rep Over Discretionary Trading
In the Matter of Ricardo Turlan, Respondent (FINRA AWC)

http://www.brokeandbroker.com/5883/finra-arbitration-jefferies-gegenheimer/
You're unhappy at your present employer. You negotiate a deal with another employer. Apparently you're really wonderful at what you do because you're offered a nice compensation package. Further, you did such a fabulous job selling yourself that your likely-new-employer requests a million bucks in liquidated damages in the event you don't start working for them by a mutually agreed-to date. So . . . like what could go wrong with all of that? Apparently, a lot because we got a 17-page FINRA Arbitration Award and decisions from two federal courts! 

Indiana Woman Convicted Of Conspiracy To Commit Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, And Money Laundering In Advance-Fee Fraud Scheme Targeting Deaf And Elderly (DOJ Release)
https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/indiana-woman-convicted-conspiracy-commit-mail-fraud-wire-fraud-and-money-laundering
After a federal jury in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania deliberated for about an hour, Donna L. Summerlin, 62, was found guilty on one count of conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. As alleged in part in the DOJ Release:

[S]ummerlin was charged with accepting over $1.2 million from victims of cross-border advance-fee schemes.  Many of the identified victims were either elderly, deaf, or both.  In these schemes, victims were contacted through Facebook and told that they were winners of a "deaf lottery" or that they had been selected for special and exclusive government grants or other programs.  Summerlin herself is deaf and the trial used multiple sign language interpreters to interpret the witness testimony and court proceedings.

In order to claim their supposed prize, grant, or other financial reward, victims were directed to prepay expenses such as taxes and customs fees.  Victims were persuaded to do so with the false promise of a much larger payoff.  After making an initial payment, victims were directed to make additional larger payments.  In some cases, fraudsters were successful at getting multiple payments from victims, who never received any financial reward. 

Fraudsters contacting potential victims through Facebook, email, and text messages used fake names and photographs to disguise themselves.  These fraudsters also took over the accounts of victims so that they could lure their friends into sending money and to reassure them of the scheme's legitimacy when victims had doubts about participating.  Victims were instructed to send these payments to Summerlin, who worked as a "money mule" or intermediary for these fraudsters for approximately four years, from 2012 to 2016. 

At trial, the Government showed that Summerlin received over $1.2 million from over 100 people across the country and, in some cases, other countries such as Canada and Australia.  Victims mailed Summerlin checks, cash, and money orders.  They also wired her funds through bank-to-bank electronic wire transfers and sent her money through Western Union and MoneyGram money transfers.  The victims included a deaf elderly couple that resided in this District during the time period of the conspiracy.  The Government showed that this couple sent Summerlin around $500,000, depleting their life savings.

After receiving these funds, Summerlin rapidly withdrew them from the more than 40 bank accounts she used for these activities.  Typically, she wired a portion of the funds to coconspirators in Nigeria and Great Britain.  She also made large cash withdrawals, which were used to send funds to coconspirators and for personal use.  Finally, she sent a large number of Western Union and MoneyGram money transfers to many of the same recipients in Nigeria and Great Britain.  Evidence at trial showed that Summerlin benefited financially from this scheme.

Latvian National Charged for Alleged Role in Transnational Cybercrime Organization (DOJ Release)
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/latvian-national-charged-alleged-role-transnational-cybercrime-organization
In a 47-count Indictment filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1401766/download, Alla Witte a/k/ "Max" was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and aggravated identity theft; one count of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud affecting a financial institution; eight counts of bank fraud affecting a financial institution; eight counts of aggravated identity thef;t and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The DOJ Release alleges that:

[B]eginning in November 2015, Witte and others stole money and confidential information from unsuspecting victims, including businesses and their financial institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and Russia through the use of the Trickbot malware.

Witte and her co-conspirators allegedly worked together to infect victim computers with the Trickbot malware designed to capture online banking login credentials and harvest other personal information, including credit card numbers, emails, passwords, dates of birth, social security numbers and addresses. Witte and others also allegedly captured login credentials and other stolen personal information to gain access to online bank accounts, execute unauthorized electronic funds transfers and launder the money through U.S. and foreign beneficiary accounts.

According to the indictment, Witte worked as a malware developer for the Trickbot Group and wrote code related to the control, deployment, and payments of ransomware. The ransomware informed victims that their computer was encrypted, and that they would need to purchase special software through a Bitcoin address controlled by the Trickbot Group to decrypt their files. In addition, Witte allegedly provided code to the Trickbot Group that monitored and tracked authorized users of the malware and developed tools and protocols to store stolen login credentials.

SEC Announces Removal of William D. Duhnke III from the Public Company / Accounting Oversight Board; Duane M. DesParte to Serve as Acting Chair Commission to Seek Candidates for all Five Board Positions (SEC Release)
https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2021-93
The SEC announced the removal from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB") of William D. Duhnke III. Duane M. DesParte to designated as the Acting Chairperson. Further, the SEC announced that it has directed its Office of the Chief Accountant to begin the process for soliciting new applications for all five PCAOB positions.

Statement on The Commission's Actions Regarding the PCAOB (by Commissioner Hester M. Peirce and Commissioner Elad L. Roisman)</a>
https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/peirce-roisman-pcaob-2021-06-04
SEC Commissioners Peirce and Roisman expressed "serious concerns" about the removal of Duhnke from the PCAOB, and they noted in part that: [Ed: footnotes omitted]:

Although the Commission has the authority to remove PCAOB members from their posts without cause, in all of our actions, we should act with fair process, fully-informed deliberation, and equanimity, none of which characterized the Commission's actions here.  Instead the Commission has proceeded in an unprecedented manner that is unmoored from any practical standard that could be meaningfully applied in the future.  We are unaware of any similar action by the Commission in connection with its oversight of the PCAOB. These actions set a troubling precedent for the Commission's ongoing oversight of the PCAOB and for the appointment process, including with respect to attracting well-qualified people who want to serve.  A future in which PCAOB members are replaced with every change in administration would run counter to the Sarbanes Oxley Act's establishment of staggered terms for Board members, inject instability at the PCAOB, and undermine the PCAOB's important mission by suggesting that it is subject to the vicissitudes of politics. 

In a FINRA Arbitration Statement of Claim filed in January 2021, public customer Claimant Starnes representing himself pro se asserted:

issues with application; and lack of support service. The causes of action relate to Claimant's assertion: that he was unable to cancel his order prior to the market opening due to some form of error, issue, or glitch with Respondent's stock trading mobile application; that he was unable to protect himself from the market due to his account being locked/suspended by Respondent; and that he was unable to get out of the position before it moved against him.

Claimant Starnes sought $4,275 in compensatory damages. Respondent Robinhood generally denied the allegations and asserted various affirmative defenses. In response to Robinhood's Answer, Claimant Starnes responded with a request for:

compensatory damages in the amount of $2,484.00 as compensation for the direct loss caused by the inability to cancel the trade and the fact that he was completely unable to close the position; compensation for damages in an amount the Arbitrator sees fit, due to Claimant being unable to protect himself from the market; compensatory damages in an amount the Arbitrator sees fit, as punishment for the fact the Respondent's support team lied multiple times and withheld documents that would support the Claimant's case; emotional or special damages in an amount the Arbitrator sees fit, due to the immense stress and amount of time and work to make this case; and compensatory damages in the amount of $750.00 ($25.00 per hour for 30 hours) for the time Claimant spent working on this case.

The FINRA Arbitration Panel denied Claimant Starnes claims without offering any rationale or explanation. 

FINRA Fines and Suspends Rep Over KYC Violations
In the Matter of Woong Seong Hwang, Respondent (FINRA AWC 2017055132601)
https://www.finra.org/sites/default/files/fda_documents/2017055132601
%20Woong%20Seong%20Hwang%20CRD%20AWC%204400271%20AWC%20va.pdf
For the purpose of proposing a settlement of rule violations alleged by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"), without admitting or denying the findings, prior to a regulatory hearing, and without an adjudication of any issue, Woong Seong Hwang submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent ("AWC"), which FINRA accepted. The AWC alleges that Woong Seong Hwang was registered with Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. from November 2002 to August 2017. The AWC asserts that Woong Seong Hwang "does not have any relevant disciplinary history." In accordance with the terms of the AWC, FINRA imposed upon Woong Seong Hwang a $5,000 fine, a 45-day suspension from associating with any FINRA member in all capacities, and an undertaking that within 90 days of his re-association with a FINRA member firm that he complete 20 hours of of continuing education regarding anti-money laundering from a provider that is not unacceptable to FINRA . As alleged in part in  the AWC:

[M]errill Lynch's written supervisory procedures (WSPs) required its registered representatives to collect certain due diligence information when opening a new customer account in order to allow the firm to satisfy its KYC and foreign account activity monitoring obligations. Among other things, Hwang was required to obtain and enter information about the citizenship and address of any customer seeking to open an account. 

In May 2009, a friend introduced Hwang to Customer A. Hwang knew Customer A was not a United States citizen, and had recently relocated to Korea. Because Customer A did not satisfy the minimum balance requirement for foreign accounts, Hwang and Customer A agreed to use the New Jersey address of their mutual friend to open a domestic account for Customer A. 

Hwang's assistant entered Customer A's country of citizenship as the United States and the New Jersey residence as Customer A's address when completing the account opening documentation. Hwang reviewed the new account opening documentation in Merrill Lynch's account opening system and certified that Customer A's citizenship and address information was correct. 

In November 2014 and May 2016, Merrill Lynch opened subaccounts for Customer A. The accounts were opened after Hwang again certified that the information recorded in the firm's systems regarding Customer A's citizenship and address was accurate. 

By certifying false information regarding Customer A's citizenship and residence, thereby circumventing the firm's KYC due diligence for foreign accounts, Hwang violated FINRA Rule 2010. By engaging in this conduct, Hwang also caused Merrill Lynch to maintain inaccurate books and records and violated NASD Rule 3110 and FINRA Rules 4511 and 2010.

Bill Singer's Comment: A very nice, tight, and well-drafted AWC replete with adequate content and context. Also, the sanctions are appropriately tailored to the alleged misconduct. Compliments to FINRA!

FINRA Fines and Suspends Rep Over Discretionary Trading
In the Matter of Ricardo Turlan, Respondent (FINRA AWC 2019063490102)
https://www.finra.org/sites/default/files/fda_documents/2019063490102
%20Ricardo%20Turlan%20CRD%204431836%20AWC%20sl.pdf
For the purpose of proposing a settlement of rule violations alleged by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"), without admitting or denying the findings, prior to a regulatory hearing, and without an adjudication of any issue, Ricardo Turlan submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent ("AWC"), which FINRA accepted. The AWC alleges that Ricardo Turlan entered the industry in 2011 and by October 2015 was registered with UBS Financial Services, Inc. The AWC asserts that Ricardo Turlan "does not have any relevant disciplinary history." In accordance with the terms of the AWC, FINRA imposed upon Ricardo Turlan a $7,500 fine and a two-month suspension from associating with any FINRA member in all capacities. As alleged in part in  the AWC:

Between June 2017 and February 2019, Turlan effected approximately 130 transactions in the accounts of two customers without first speaking to the customers on the days of the trades. Neither of the customers provided written authorization for Turlan to exercise discretion in their accounts and UBS did not accept either of the accounts as discretionary accounts. Therefore, Respondent violated NASD Rule 2510(b) and FINRA Rule 2010. 

In addition, between January 2018 and December 2018, in one of the accounts, Turlan mismarked approximately 72 trades as "unsolicited," when the transactions were, in fact, solicited. Turlan's mismarking of the order tickets caused UBS to maintain inaccurate books and records. Therefore, Respondent violated FINRA Rules 4511 and 2010.