California Securities Fraud Lawyer Blog

The following information regarding broker misconduct and disciplinary activities taken against California stockbrokers was released by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in January 2010:

Robert Lee Mandeville, formerly with Securian Financial Services in Newport Beach, California, and Morgan Stanley in Laguna Woods, California, was fined $35,000 and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for five months for allegedly engaging in unauthorized trades in customer accounts and making unsuitable trades in customer accounts.

Kale Edgar Evans, formerly with First Allied Securities in San Diego, California, and TD Waterhouse (now known as TD Ameritrade) was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity based on findings that Evans engaged in unsuitable and excessive trading in a young customer's account, misappropriated approximately $127,450 from the customer's savings account for his own purposes and gave the customer a $35,000 check as a settlement without his firm's knowledge or consent.

The following information regarding broker misconduct and disciplinary activities taken against California stockbrokers was released by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in December 2009:

Dean Jay Addinanti formerly of Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC and A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. in Torrance, California, was fined and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for 60 days for allegedly conducting unauthorized transactions in customer accounts.

Stephen Crai Keifner formerly of First Allied Securities, Inc. and A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. in Ventura and Oxnard, California, was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for allegedly engaging in unauthorized trades in customer accounts, making unsuitable recommendations and altering customer account documentation.

The following information regarding broker misconduct and disciplinary activities taken against California stockbrokers was released by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in November 2009:

Lisa Ann Tomiko Nouchi of Fairfield, California, was suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for 90 days and fined $10,000 for allegedly entering inaccurate and false customer information while she was employed at UBS Financial Services.

Marc Winters of Chatsworth, California, was suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for 90 days and fined $19,882 for allegedly entering inaccurate and false customer information while he was employed at UBS Financial Services.

Gary Thomas Armitage who is the principal of AGA Financial and was formerly with ePLANNING Securities, Inc. in Roseville, California, was named in a complaint filed by FINRA alleging unauthorized transactions in customer accounts and participating in unreported private securities transactions.

The following information regarding broker misconduct and disciplinary activities taken against California stockbrokers was released by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in October 2009:

Kevin Michael Browne formerly of Regal Securities, Inc. in Dillon, California, was suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for one year for allegedly defrauding investors in connection with the sale of Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMOs).

Pingping Shu (aka Carol Shu) formerly of Wells Fargo Investments in Camarillo, California, was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for 30 days for allegedly copying and pasting customer signatures on client forms without their authorization and consent.

Michael Alfred Thome of Folsom, California, a former broker with TD Ameritrade, was ordered to pay $402,137.50 plus interest as restitution for the misappropriation of funds from a customer who thought they were investing in a real estate partnership.

Douglas Richard Smith formerly with Financial Advisors of America, LLC in Thousand Oaks, California, was named in a complaint filed by FINRA alleging unauthorized variable annuity transactions and placing the customer's signature and/or initials on documents without the customer's knowledge.

The following information regarding broker misconduct and disciplinary activities taken against California stockbrokers was released by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in September 2009:

William David Brusseau formerly of Independent Financial Group in Pasadena, California, and Omni Brokerage of Pasadena, California, was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for allegedly borrowing money from customers.

Stephen Timothy Crawford formerly of Unionbanc Investment Services, LLC in San Diego, California, was fined and barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for two years for allegedly borrowing money from customers.

Jacob Karamian formerly of Crowell, Weedon & Co. in Pasadena, California, was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for allegedly transferring funds from a customer's account without their authorization.

Joaquinitio See Soliman (aka Jack Soliman) formerly of KMS Financial Services Inc., in Chino Hills, California, was barred from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for allegedly effecting discretionary transactions in customer accounts without written discretionary authority.

Donald Raymond Dunakin III formerly with Gunnallen Financial, Inc. of El Dorado Hills, California, is the subject of a FINRA disciplinary complaint alleging that he made unsuitable investment recommendations, including the purchase of securities on margin and providing false testimony to FINRA investigators.

Would you like to know whether your brokerage firm or stockbroker has had a history of customer complaints?

You can easily check a broker's employment and disciplinary history online at FINRA BrokerCheck Website or call the BrokerCheck Hotline at (800) 289-9999.

The letters F-I-N-R-A stand for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. They are the non-governmental regulatory authority for securities firms and stockbrokers.