Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

SEC Bars Financial Advisor for Securities Trading Scheme

Posted on May 10th, 2024 at 1:33 PM
SEC Bars Financial Advisor for Securities Trading Scheme

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has barred financial advisor Andrew Komarow from the securities industry, following a similar bar by FINRA. Komarow accepted the SEC settlement without admitting to or denying the SEC's findings.

According to InvestmentNews, Komarow is known for his Connecticut-based practice focusing on special needs and autism. He was found to have been involved in a "free-riding" securities trading scheme from October 2022 to January 2023, according to the SEC settlement.

"Free-riding" involves traders exploiting the "immediate access" credit provided by certain broker-dealers before cash deposits from bank accounts are received. The SEC discovered that Komarow initiated "unfunded automated clearing house transfers of money totaling $6.9 million from multiple bank accounts to accounts at broker-dealers and engaged in speculative trading with the resulting credits before the transfers were canceled for insufficient funds."

Although Komarow's trading activities did not yield significant profits at each broker-dealer, he withdrew funds from two accounts where he had engaged in free-riding. As per the SEC's findings, this led to losses exceeding $3 million for the broker-dealers, while Komarow personally profited at least $615,031.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, sec

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

I have the best legal firm in the country to defend me. Awesome job!

Cindy C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1789490284 Law
September 15, 2026
FINRA Suspends Former Northwestern Mutual Broker Over Customer Loans

The Financial industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has suspended and fined a former Northwestern Mutual broker after he solicited two customers for loans to purchase another representative's book of business but instead used most of the money to pay personal expenses and other debt, according to an Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (AWC) letter.<...

1789403905 Law
September 14, 2026
SEC Considers Expanding Retail Access to Private Markets

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering a proposal that could expand retail investors' access to private markets and allow investment advisers to charge performance fees to a broader group of clients.

1789155492 Law
September 11, 2026
SEC Considers Investor Test to Expand Accredited Investor Eligibility

The Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chairman Paul S.