Enforcement Actions
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
CASES OF NOTE
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
Lawrence Maxwell McCoy
AWC/2008013278101/December 2009
McCoy converted funds belonging to an elderly public customer totaling approximately $44,000 without her knowledge and consent by contacting the mutual fund company that held her funds and requesting numerous redemptions. McCoy converted additional funds belonging to the customer totaling $34,000, without her knowledge and consent, by forging her checks and making them payable to a company he controlled that was disclosed to his firm as an outside business activity.
Lawrence Maxwell McCoy: Barred
Tags:  Forgery    Checks    Elderly     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Bill Singer's Comment
Elder fraud is a growing area of abuse on Wall Street and thankfully such contemptible misconduct is resulting in industry bars. Good riddance!
Sherolyn Rae Leeper
AWC/2009016624501/December 2009
Leeper misappropriated approximately $31,663.01 from customers by writing checks against their brokerage accounts and forging their signatures. Leeper deposited the checks into her personal bank account and converted the proceeds for her own use and benefit.
Leeper failed to respond to FINRA requests for information.
Sherolyn Rae Leeper: Barred
Tags:  Checks    Forgery     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Vincent John Miller
AWC/2008012562901/December 2009
Miller made a recommendation to an elderly customer that the customer invest in shares of a real estate investment trust (REIT). The customer withdrew funds from existing investments and gave Miller over $1 million to purchase REIT shares.

Miller only invested a portion of the customer’s funds in REIT shares and misappropriated $433,543.22 of the funds by depositing the checks into his personal bank account for his personal use, including gambling, mortgage payments, credit card bills and other personal expenses. Miller failed to respond to FINRA requests for information.
Vincent John Miller: Barred
Tags:  Elderly    REIT    Checks     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
November 2009
William Ambos Gill
AWC/2009016629001/November 2009
Gill withdrew $13,000 from a customer’s securities account without the customer’s knowledge or permission by having checks drawn on the account payable to the customer. The checks were sent to Gill’s office, where he signed the customer’s name on the receipt acknowledging delivery, signed the customer’s name on the reverse side of the checks andmade each check payable to himself. Gill signed his own name beneath the customer’s purported endorsement and then deposited the funds into his personal checking account.
William Ambos Gill: Barred
Tags:  Checks     |    In: Cases of Note : FINRA
Enforcement Actions
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