May 14, 2021

San Francisco, California Securities Account Theft Lawyer

Did Bryce Scarfone Cause You Investment Losses? Bryce R. Scarfone of San Francisco, California submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in which he was permanently barred from working in the securities industry because he failed to comply with FINRA Rule 2010.   In January 2017, Bryce R. Scarfone joined HSBC and became registered as an Investment Banking Representative and as a General Securities Representative. The firm later filed a Uniform Termination Notice (Form U5), disclosing that Scarfone had been terminated due to alleged conversion of funds. According to the findings, Scarfone had allegedly altered a check in the amount of $1,798.14 issued by his firm to be paid to his roommate by changing the check number and making it payable to himself without the authority to do so. The findings state that Scarfone then deposited the check into his personal bank account to use for his own benefit. Although Bryce R. Scarfone is not currently registered or associated with a FINRA member, he remains subject to FINRA’s jurisdiction. Do You Need an Attorney for Securities Account Theft? FINRA Rule 2010 requires associated persons of FINRA members to adhere to high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade in the conduct of their business. Conversion is the intentional and unauthorized taking of and/or exercise of ownership over property by one who neither owns the property nor is entitled to possess it. Conversion violates FINRA Rule 2010 even if the conversion occurs outside the scope of a registered representative’s employment with a FINRA member. Are you a Bryce R. Scarfone investor who has suffered significant losses in your stock brokerage and investment accounts?  Did your California stockbroker or investment advisor transfer assets without your authority to the stockbroker or another party, steal, or otherwise commit theft in your investment account? If so, you will need to have representation from an experienced, highly rated, and nationally recognized FINRA arbitration securities law attorney—an attorney who knows FINRA rules and procedures inside and out and how to handle these FINRA arbitration forgery cases and other complex legal issues.  Free Initial Consultation With Experienced Lawyers Handling Securities Account Theft Cases Serving San Francisco, California Residents in FINRA Arbitrations At The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A.  we represent investors in all kinds of securities, commodities, and investment law disputes in FINRA, AAA and JAMS arbitration and mediation proceedings. Attorney Pearce and his staff represent investors throughout California, and across the United States on a CONTINGENCY FEE basis which means you pay nothing – NO FEES-NO COSTS – unless we put money in your pocket after receiving a settlement or FINRA arbitration award. Se habla español For dedicated representation by Attorney Pearce with over 40 years of experience and success in all kinds of securities, commodities, and investment law disputes serving California citizens, contact the firm by phone at 561-338-0037, toll free at 800-732-2889 or via e-mail. 

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Feb 3, 2021

San Francisco, California Failure to Supervise Stockbroker Attorney

Did SeedChange Execution Services Inc. Cause You Investment Losses? SeedChange Execution Services Inc. of San Francisco, California was censured and fined $15,000 for allegedly failing to establish, maintain and enforce their supervisory system and written supervisory procedures as to whether their registered representatives proposed outside business activities or constituted outside securities activities. Due to the misconduct, the firm was in violation of FINRA Rules 3110, 3270, and 2010. Since 2013, SeedChange has been a FINRA member firm and employs approximately 20 registered representatives. According to the FINRA findings, from November 2017 to March 2018, SeedChange had allegedly failed to properly evaluate a registered representatives disclosed outside business activity. The findings stated that the representative raised approximately $525,000 for the investment fund and received a management fee for his work. FINRA stated that although SeedChange was aware of the representatives activities, they did not have any written supervisory procedures to evaluate any factors to determine certain restrictions, prohibit outside business activities or whether it should have been treated as an outside business activity. FINRA Rule 3110(a) requires firms to establish and maintain a system to supervise the activities of registered persons. FINRA Rule 3110(b) requires firms to establish, maintain, and enforce written procedures to supervise the types of businesses it engages in and the activities of its registered persons. Both the supervisory system and the written procedures must be reasonably designed to achieve compliance with applicable rules. FINRA Rule 3270 prohibits registered persons from engaging in any outside business activities unless they provide prior written notice to the member firm. Do you need a California FINRA Securities Arbitration Attorney? Are you a San Francisco, California investor who has suffered significant losses in your stock brokerage and investment accounts?  Did your California stock brokerage or investment advisory firm where you do business fail to supervise the stockbroker who recommended bad investments and otherwise mismanage your investment account? If so, you will need to hire an experienced, highly-rated, and nationally recognized FINRA securities arbitration attorney—a lawyer who knows how to handle these failure to supervise cases as well as other complex legal issues.  Free Initial Consultation With Attorneys Experienced In Failure to Supervise Stockbroker Disputes Serving San Francisco, California Residents In FINRA Arbitrations At The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A.  we represent investors in all kinds of securities, commodities, and investment law disputes in FINRA, AAA and JAMS arbitration and mediation proceedings. Attorney Pearce and his staff represent investors throughout California, and across the United States on a CONTINGENCY FEE basis which means you pay nothing – NO FEES-NO COSTS – unless we put money in your pocket after receiving a settlement or FINRA arbitration award. Se habla español For dedicated representation by Attorney Pearce with over 40 years of experience and success in all kinds of securities, commodities, and investment law disputes serving California citizens, contact the firm by phone at 561-338-0037, toll free at 800-732-2889 or via e-mail.

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Nov 11, 2020

J. P. Morgan Securities, LLC Sued for San Francisco Financial Advisor Edward Turley’s Alleged Misconduct

J. P. Morgan Securities, LLC (“J. P. Morgan”) employed San Francisco Financial Advisor Edward Turley (“Mr. Turley”) and it is being sued for his alleged misconduct involving a highly speculative trading investment strategy in highly leveraged accounts. We represent a family in the Midwest who built a successful manufacturing business and entrusted their savings to J. P. Morgan and its financial advisor and lost millions of dollars. We have filed a FINRA arbitration proceeding on behalf of our clients against the brokerage firm and summarized the allegations below. Mr. Turley and one of our clients were members of the Citation Jet Pilot Owners Association (“CJP”).  Our clients were solicited to open accounts with J. P. Morgan along with other CJP members. This is the fourth case filed against J. P. Morgan for Mr. Turley’s alleged misrepresentations and misleading statements relating to recommended investments and an investment strategy that were not only allegedly unsuitable but allegedly mismanaged by the  J.P. Morgan investment adviser and stockbroker in clients’ accounts. Mr. Turley allegedly exercised discretion without written authority and when he allegedly took control of Claimants’ accounts, he engaged in a speculative, over-leveraged fixed income investment strategy involving excessive trading of high yield “junk” bonds, foreign bonds, preferred stocks, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), and foreign currencies. In June 2019, Claimants allege Mr. Turley recklessly increased the risks (market, over-concentration, interest rate, leverage, commodities, and foreign currency) to which Claimants and their accounts were exposed. He made a multi-million dollar investment in unregistered Nine Energy notes rated B- (speculative) and many more speculative investments in Claimants’ accounts. Mr. Turley turned over the fixed income assets with new investments in “new issue” preferred stocks underwritten by J.P. Morgan, for which he allegedly received “seller concessions” paid at a much higher percentage than regular commissions on other securities transactions.   The Claimants’ entire portfolio became over-concentrated in the financial and energy sectors.  The leverage was increased and the Claimants’ accounts became ticking time bombs ready to explode at any moment, and indeed they did explode in March 2020 when the market collapsed, and Claimants realized substantial losses in their accounts. Stockbrokers have been known to engage in many practices that may violate industry and firm rules, practices, and procedures.  In order to protect investors from stockbroker fraud and other stockbroker misconduct, FINRA rules require brokerage firms to establish and implement a supervisory system.  The implementation of these industry rules requires supervisors to monitor their employees to ensure compliance with federal and state securities laws, securities industry rules and regulations, and the brokerage firm’s own policies and procedures.  If broker-dealers and/or their supervisors fail to establish and implement these protective measures, they may be liable to investors for damages which flow from the broker’s misconduct. Therefore, investors who have suffered losses stemming from a misrepresented investment, an unsuitable recommendation, and/or other misconduct by their broker can file claims to recover damages against broker-dealers, like J. P. Morgan Securities, which should consistently oversee its brokers’ activities in order to prevent the above-described misconduct.  Have you suffered losses in your J. P. Morgan account due to a misrepresented investment, an unsuitable recommendation, and/or an over-concentrated account that was mismanaged by your broker?  Was Edward Turley your stockbroker?  If so, call Robert Pearce at the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. for a free consultation.  Mr. Pearce is accepting clients with valid claims against J. P. Morgan stockbrokers who may have engaged in stockbroker fraud and other stockbroker misconduct and caused investors’ losses. The most important of investors’ rights is the right to be informed!  This Investors’ Rights blog post is by the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., located in Boca Raton, Florida.  For over 40 years, Attorney Pearce has tried, arbitrated, and mediated hundreds of disputes involving complex securities, commodities and investment law issues.  The lawyers at our law firm are devoted to protecting investors’ rights throughout the United States and internationally!  Please visit our website, www.secatty.com, post a comment, call (800) 732-2889, or email Mr. Pearce at pearce@rwpearce.com for answers to any of your questions about this blog post and/or any related matter.

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