Essex Securities Broker Suspended by FINRA for Forged Customer Signatures
Lawrence Thomas, a registered representative formerly employed with Essex Securities LLC, submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent in which he consented to, but did not admit to or deny, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) findings that he directed his assistant to forge the signatures on account documents without the customers’ knowledge or approval. FINRA’s findings state that Lawrence Marshall Thomas, of North Attleboro Massachusetts, instructed his assistant to forge the signatures of three customers on approximately ten occasions from January 2015 through September 2015. Mr. Thomas’ assistant copied and pasted authentic client signatures onto new firm documents, including new account forms and applications. Although the customers requested the underlying transactions, they did not know of or approve of the falsified signatures.
Continue Reading