FINRA Suspends Former Morgan Stanley Advisor Over Unauthorized Trades

Posted on December 6th, 2022 at 2:10 PM
FINRA Suspends Former Morgan Stanley Advisor Over Unauthorized Trades

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a 20-day suspension and a $6,000 fine to a former Morgan Stanley advisor for allegedly completing several unauthorized trades.

The former California-based advisor, David Lau, placed 194 trades in five client accounts without obtaining written authorization between March and October 2020, according to FINRA. Lau consented to the suspension and fine without admitting or denying any of FINRA’s investigatory findings. Lau has no other disclosures on his record besides Morgan Stanley’s previous allegations and FINRA’s recent discipline.

According to BrokerCheck, Morgan Stanley terminated Lau in March 2021 over allegations of unauthorized trading, and Morgan Stanley’s U5 termination filing subsequently initiated FINRA’s probe. One month after his termination from Morgan Stanley, Lau joined Gladstone Wealth Partners, an LPL Financial affiliate, where he has maintained his investment advisor license, according to FINRA.

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, law, finra

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

The work that you and your team have performed on my behalf is exemplary.

JT

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 18, 2025
UBS Warns of Rising Default Risk in Private Credit

A UBS report signals that credit stress likely will intensify next year as borrowers confront inflation, elevated interest costs, and softening consumer conditions.

December 17, 2025
Audit Failures, Whistleblower Claims, and Renewed Scrutiny of the Big Four

A series of lawsuits, congressional findings, and high-profile corporate collapses has reignited long-standing concerns about the audit industry’s ability to confront fraud, as reported by Bloomberg Law.

December 16, 2025
Reminders for CFAs in Adhering to Compliance Standard, Client-Disclosure and Conflict Management Requirements

In 2023, the CFA Institute Board of Governors approved targeted revisions to the Standards of Professional Conduct, adding one new standard and updating two others.