Eccleston Law Blog

SEC Charges Two South Florida Men for Defrauding Venezuelan-American Investors in $5 Million Scheme

October 2nd, 2024 at 4:30 PM
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a complaint against two South Florida men, Francisco Javier Malave Hernandez and Ricardo Javier Guerra Farias, for orchestrating a multi-million dollar investment fraud that targeted members of the Venezuelan-American community.
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California Advisor Suspended and Fined for Churning Client Accounts

October 1st, 2024 at 3:34 PM
A veteran advisor in Santa Maria, California, Stewart "Paxton" Ginn, has been suspended for 18 months and fined $50,000 by FINRA, according to AdvisorHub. 
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Bank of America and Merrill Lynch Settle with FINRA for Supervisory Failures

September 30th, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Bank of America and its subsidiary, Merrill Lynch, have agreed to a $3 million fine and censure as part of a settlement with FINRA over long-term supervisory failures.
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UBS Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Cash Sweep Programs

September 27th, 2024 at 11:52 AM
UBS has been hit with a class action lawsuit over its cash sweep programs, joining other major firms like LPL, Wells Fargo, and Ameriprise, which have faced similar litigation.
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Former Army Financial Counselor Sentenced for Defrauding Gold Star Families

September 26th, 2024 at 10:28 AM
A former U.S. Army financial counselor, Caz Craffy, also known as “Carz Craffey”, was sentenced to 151 months in prison for defrauding Gold Star families and committing related crimes.
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FINRA Sanctions Supervisor for Failing to Address Excessive Trading Red Flags

September 25th, 2024 at 11:33 AM
FINRA has acted against an Independent Financial Group (IFG) supervisor for failing to respond to red flags involving excessive trading in five customer accounts.
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CFP Board Revises Sanction Guidelines and Fitness Standards

September 24th, 2024 at 11:16 PM
The CFP Board has finalized revisions to its Sanction Guidelines and Fitness Standards.
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Former LPL Financial Advisor Fined and Suspended for Unauthorized Signatures

September 23rd, 2024 at 10:35 AM
According to AdvisorHub, Justin Y. Gerow has been fined $5,000 and suspended for three months by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) over allegations of signing customer account transfer forms without permission.
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Recruiting Loans Drive Growth in Financial Planning Firms

September 20th, 2024 at 1:32 PM
Recruiting in the financial planning industry remains a crucial strategy for growth, with major firms like LPL Financial and Morgan Stanley leading the charge by offering substantial recruiting loans to attract advisors.
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FINRA Rule Protects Advisors' Private Addresses on BrokerCheck

September 19th, 2024 at 11:53 AM
FINRA recently implemented a rule allowing advisors to keep their personal home addresses off the public BrokerCheck database by simply checking a box.
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LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

March 4, 2026
Modern Fraud Schemes Escalate in Scale and Sophistication

A recent panel discussion at the Financial Services Institute OneVoice conference in San Diego highlighted how rapidly evolving fraud schemes continue to victimize both retail and wealthy investors.

March 3, 2026
FINRA Suspends Former Stifel Broker Over Costly Account Switching Trades

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) suspended a former Stifel, Nicolaus & Co.

March 2, 2026
FINRA Suspends Cetera Broker for Accepting $50,000 Client Bequest Without Firm Approval

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) imposed a $10,000 fine and a seven-month suspension on an independent broker for accepting a $50,000 bequest from a client without obtaining prior firm approval.