Eccleston Law Blog

Florida Investment Advisor Accused of Orchestrating $94 Million Fraud Targeting International Clients

August 14th, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Federal prosecutors have charged Andrew Hamilton Jacobus, a former investment adviser based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with defrauding international investors of over $94 million over 20 years.
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FINRA Suspends Financial Advisor for Outsourcing Continuing Education Requirements

August 13th, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has suspended advisor Francis G. Smith for one month and fined him $5,000 after finding he had someone else complete required continuing education (CE) coursework on his behalf.
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Margin Debt Hits $1 Trillion as Investor Risk Appetite Surges

August 12th, 2025 at 2:13 PM
According to Barron’s, investors are borrowing against their portfolios at record levels.
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FINRA Suspends Broker for Impersonating Clients During Account Transfers

August 11th, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Chad M. Rogers, a former broker with Independent Financial Partners (IFP) in Oklahoma City, received a 45-day suspension and a $5,000 fine from FINRA after impersonating clients during phone calls to facilitate account transfers.
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SEC Overturns FINRA Bar Against Former Rep, Issues Immediate Suspension Instead

August 8th, 2025 at 1:41 PM
In a rare move, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has scaled back an industry bar by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) against former rep Thomas Lykos Jr., converting the sanction into a suspension that ended immediately upon the SEC's decision.
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FINRA Panel Awards $160K in Broker Poaching Dispute Between Former Ameriprise Teammates

August 7th, 2025 at 4:23 PM
A FINRA arbitration panel has ordered Kraig R. Bode, an independent broker now affiliated with Sanctuary Wealth, to pay $160,000 in damages to his former teammate, Seth C. Murray, stemming from allegations of client solicitation following Bode’s departure from Ameriprise Financial in October 2021.
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Ex-Schwab Representative Suspended Two Years and Fined for Concealing Profit-Sharing Agreement

August 6th, 2025 at 11:46 AM
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has suspended former Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. representative Daniel Michael Roper for two years.
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Second Circuit Rejects Morgan Stanley's Bid to Overturn ERISA Ruling

August 5th, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Morgan Stanley has once again hit a roadblock in its effort to overturn a federal court decision that applies the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) protections to its deferred compensation plan.
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FINRA Bars Former Stifel Broker Amid $133 Million Arbitration Fallout

August 4th, 2025 at 11:15 AM
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has barred former Stifel Financial broker Chuck A. Roberts after a wave of investor complaints linked to his sale of structured products culminated in a $133 million arbitration award and tens of millions in additional settlements.
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FINRA Bars Former Jefferies Advisor After Refusal to Cooperate with Regulatory Probe

August 1st, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Nicholas Coubrough, a former wealth advisor with Jefferies Financial Group Inc. in Miami, has been permanently barred from the securities industry following his refusal to cooperate with an investigation by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
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Jim, Stephany and the whole team were a God send.  We felt like we were put into a situation where we had no advocate. Jim’s team came in with a strong, well laid out strategy on how to get our story heard. Where our outside compliance company had no ability to help, our Broker Dealer was impenitent, and the regulators were aggressive pursuing vague rules, Jim came like a barricade against an assault we did not understand. Though you pay member dues to be affiliated with FINRA and a B/D, you have no voice. The only thing that is truly heard in this un-level playing field is a bulldog’s bark like Jim’s. I would encourage anyone to call Jim and his team to find a real ally in the tough and complicated world of securities regulation. They are truly the best.

Greg P.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

October 10, 2025
Former Two Sigma Quant Researcher Faces Fraud Charges Over Manipulated Models

Federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have filed parallel actions against Jian Wu, a former quantitative researcher at Two Sigma Investments, alleging he secretly manipulated algorithmic trading models to boost his own compensation by millions of dollars.

October 9, 2025
Former Merrill Lynch Advisors Fight Allegations of Corporate Raid

A dozen former Merrill Lynch advisors who launched their own firm, OpenArc Corporate Advisory, in Atlanta are pushing back against accusations that they orchestrated a “pre-meditated corporate raid.”

October 8, 2025
Northern Trust Sues Former Advisor for Alleged Fraud and Breach of Fiduciary Duty

According to ThinkAdvisor, Northern Trust Company has filed suit against former wealth management relationship advisor Christopher Walters, alleging that he engaged in “blatant fraud” and breached his fiduciary duty to both the firm and a longtime client.