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

Stifel Fined $2.5 Million After Advisor Charged Excessive Fees to Seniors and a Church

Posted on May 4th, 2023 at 1:24 PM
Stifel Fined $2.5 Million After Advisor Charged Excessive Fees to Seniors and a Church

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law 

Massachusetts’ top securities regulator, William Galvin, has ordered Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. to pay $2.5 million for failing to supervise an advisor’s questionable trades, which charged excessive and unauthorized fees to several senior clients, nonprofits, and a church.

Stifel has additionally agreed to pay at least $700,000 in restitution to Massachusetts customers as part of a consent order. According to Galvin, former Stifel advisor Joseph Crespi “subjected many of his clients to predatory sales practices over several years, leading to higher commission sales for himself and his employer.” Galvin’s investigation further discovered “wide-ranging harm” to Massachusetts customers, which stemmed from “multiple instances of Stifel employees using personal cell phones to conduct business and distributing retail communications in violation of firm and regulatory requirements.”

Galvin’s order additionally noted that Stifel has paid more than $14 million in fines, civil penalties, disgorgement, and restitution over the past five years. Crespi, who was registered with Stifel between 2018 and 2022, was the firm’s sixth highest-producing New England-based employee as of June 2019.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

That is just fantastic! Thank you very much!

Julie N.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1788893582 Law
September 8, 2026
Drive Planning Founder Sentenced to 20 Years for $380 Million Ponzi Scheme

Todd Burkhalter, founder and CEO of Georgia-based financial advisory group Drive Planning LLC, received a 20-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating a years-long Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 2,000 investors of approximately $380 million.

1788870175 Law
September 8, 2026
Merrill Lynch and Advisor Settle Court Case for $6 Million After Advisor Allegedly Exploited Grieving Widow

A financial advisor allegedly exploited a client's grief over the deaths of her father and husband, showering her with attention before persuading her to hand over millions of dollars in gifts, according to reporting by InvestmentNews.

1788461574 Law
September 3, 2026
Texas Investment Adviser Faces Washington State Charges Over Misleading Crypto Portfolio Claims

Washington state securities regulators have charged an Austin, Texas registered investment adviser (RIA) and its founder with making misleading statements about the risks tied to one of its model portfolios, which invested heavily in crypto-backed products and volatile exchange-traded funds, according to InvestmentNews.