WHEATON, ILLINOIS Are you a former client of Kyle Baker in Wheaton, Illinois? Israels & Neuman is looking into allegations against Baker, who previously worked with First Trust Portfolios. In April 2024, Baker was barred from the securities industry by FINRA, according to FINRA’s Disciplinary Database. The investigation started in January 2024, and Baker’s counsel informed FINRA that he would not appear for an on-the-record interview.

Kyle Baker was registered with First Trust Portfolios from 2005 to April 2024. He worked in Wheaton, Illinois.

Israels & Neuman has recovered millions of dollars for investors in the past, including numerous investors in Illinois. Attorney David Neuman grew up in Addison, Illinois before attending the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University.

View FINRA AWC HERE View BrokerCheck Report HERE

If you lost money with Kyle Baker, or First Trust Portfolios, contact the law firm of ISRAELS & NEUMAN at (206) 795-5798 for a Free evaluation of your case.

CINCINNATI, OHIO

Are you a former client of financial advisor John Jay Kersey in Cincinnati, Ohio? Mr. Kersey was “permitted to resign” by his former brokerage firm, Northwestern Mutual.

According to his BrokerCheck report linked below, John Jay Kersey had been with Northwestern Mutual since 2001. He was permitted to resign while under internal review for taking money from a customer and creating false account statements which overstated investment account values. Moreover, the report also discloses that Kersey allegedly admitted to taking the customer money and depositing it in an account away from the firm.

John Jay Kersey worked in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was previously suspended for one month in 1999 for the “mishandling of a customer’s funds”.

Brokerage firms like Northwestern Mutual must sufficiently monitor the conduct of their advisors per FINRA Rule 3110. If the firm failed to adequately supervise its advisor, then the brokerage firm could be responsible for any losses.

View Kersey j BrokerCheck 7.25.23

If you lost money with John Kersey or Northwestern Mutual, please CONTACT ISRAELS & NEUMAN at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Are you a former client of Roy Kevin Williams, formerly with Stifel Nicolaus & Company in Indianapolis, Indiana? Roy Kevin Williams was fired by Stifel Nicolaus & Company in May 2023. The brokerage firm alleged that Williams borrowed money from a customer between 2019 and 2023 and also paid $59,000 to settle a case to a customer who complained that Roy Williams borrowed money from that customer.

Roy Williams was a registered representative of Stifel Nicolaus & Company 2009 to May 2023. He worked in offices in Indianapolis, Indiana.

FINRA Rule 3240 governs when financial advisors borrow money from customers. Generally financial advisors cannot borrow money from customers unless the advisor has prior permission from the brokerage firms, and a list of limited exceptions applies to the transaction.

Our investment fraud law firm has sued dozens of different brokerage firms, including Stifel Nicolaus & Company. We also represent clients in Indiana.

View Williams, r BrokerCheck 7.19.23

If you lost money with Roy Williams or Stifel Nicolaus & Company, please Contact Us at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.

DAVENPORT, IA

Have you suffered investment losses because of recommendations made by advisor Ebony Parks? Our securities arbitration law firm is looking into allegations made against former LPL Financial and Wells Fargo financial advisor Ebony Parks, from Davenport, Iowa. She was indefinitely suspended by FINRA starting in June 2023.

FINRA has alleged that Parks failed to respond to FINRA requests for information. The investigation was initiated in May 2023, and the suspension was started in June 2023. She was also the subject of an investigation that started in April 2022.

Ebony Parks worked in Davenport, Iowa and had been a representative with LPL Financial from May 2021 to November 2021. Parks also worked with Wells Fargo from December 2019 to April 2021. Parks operated a company called Quad City Investment Center.

Israels & Neuman is an investment fraud law firm that represents investors in securities arbitration, mostly through FINRA arbitration. We represent investors throughout the country, including investors in Iowa and Illinois.

View Parks, e BrokerCheck 7.10.23

If you lost money with Ebony Parks, Wells Fargo, or LPL Financial, contact the law firm of ISRAELS & NEUMAN at (206) 795-5798 for a Free evaluation of your case.

HUNT VALLEY, MARYLAND

Did you lose money with financial advisor Peter Maller, with Lincoln Financial Advisors in Hunt Valley, Maryland? Peter Maller is the subject of two pending customer complaints, all of which have been made since February 2023. The complaints were filed on behalf of four investors (three in one case, one in another) in FINRA arbitration.

Each of these customers have complained that Maller recommended an unsuitable investment in an oil and gas investment. At least one of the customers complained about Atlas Growth Partners (AGP). Atlas Growth Partners allegedly performed poorly and caused investor losses.

Peter Maller has been with Lincoln Financial Advisors since 1993 and works in a Hunt Valley, Maryland office. He also runs Maller Wealth Advisors.

Lincoln Financial Advisors and its advisors have obligations to make suitable investment recommendations to customers. If a firm or advisor does not make a suitable investment recommendation, they can potentially be responsible for investor losses.

View Maller, p BrokerCheck 7.3.23

If you lost money with Peter Maller or Lincoln Financial Advisors, please Contact Us at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

Are you a former client of financial advisor Joscelyn Cockburn, also known as Jamie Cockburn, formerly with FSC Securities Corp. in Raleigh, North Carolina? In March 2023, Cockburn was fired by FSC Securities Corp.

FINRA’s BrokerCheck, a website which tracks licensed financial advisors in the U.S., discloses that Jamie Cockburn was fired after “Information was received from the North Carolina Secretary of State Securities Division that the representative engaged in transactions through an unaffiliated trust company”. Generally, advisors must get prior approval for financial transactions with customers. Joscelyn George Cockburn aka Jamie Cockburn had been affiliated with FSC Securities Corp. between 2007 and March 2023, working in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Our securities arbitration law firm represents investors throughout the country, including investors in North Carolina. Brokerage firms like FSC Securities Corp. must sufficiently monitor the conduct of their advisors.

View Cockburn, j BrokerCheck 5.8.23

If you lost money with Joscelyn Cockburn or FSC Securities Corp., please Contact Us at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.

FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA

Have you lost money with financial advisor Douglas Schmitz of Fargo, North Dakota? Our law firm is looking into claims made by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Douglas Schmitz, who owns Classic Asset Management and Classic LLC. The SEC alleged that Douglas Schmitz used leveraged and inverse ETFs and often held them for beyond a single day, despite the fact that these ETFs are designed to be used for only one trading day.

The SEC alleged that this conduct occurred from January 2017 to December 2020. To settle these allegations, Douglas Schmitz and Classic Asset Management agreed to disgorge over $600,000, interest of $118,000, and a combined penalty of $200,000.

Douglas Schmitz has been a financial advisor and registered representative of Classic LLC since November 2012. He has also been an investment advisory representative of Classic Asset Management from July 2006 to the present. Schmitz operates a Fargo, North Dakota office. He’s also been the subject of three customer complaints.

Investment advisors are considered to be fiduciaries of their customers, meaning that the advisor has to put their customers’ interest before their own. Violations of industry rules can be evidence that the advisor violated his fiduciary duty to a client, which can result in financial liability.

Israels & Neuman PLC is a securities and investment fraud law firm with offices in Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington. We represent investors in FINRA arbitration proceedings in all 50 states, including investors in North Dakota.

View Schmitz, d SEC Order

View Schmitz, d BrokerCheck 5.5.23

If you lost money with Douglas Schmitz, Classic Asset Management, or Classic LLC, please Contact Us at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.

WELLESLEY HILLS, MASSACHUSSETTS

Have you invested with stockbroker Cullen David Factor in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts? Our securities arbitration firm is reviewing allegations made by FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) against Cullen Factor, who previously was a representative of Western International Securities.

Cullen David Factor was barred from the securities brokerage industry when he informed FINRA staff that he would not cooperate with FINRA’s investigation. FINRA was seeking to determine whether Factor had engaged in any sales practice violations when Factor refused to respond to the investigation. He had been registered with Western International Securities from October 2015 to December 2022 in a Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts office.

FINRA regulates the securities brokerage industry, and Western International Securities is a FINRA member. FINRA Rule 8210 states that representatives like Cullen Factor are required to respond or cooperate with FINRA investigations. Additionally, Western International Securities must sufficiently monitor the conduct of its advisors like Cullen Factor.

Israels & Neuman is an investment fraud and securities arbitration law firm that has represented over 1,000 investors in the past, including in cases against Western International Securities. We represent investors throughout the country, including in Massachusetts.

View Factor, c FINRA AWC

View Factor, c BrokerCheck 5.2.23

If you lost money with Cullen Factor or Western International Securities, contact the law firm of ISRAELS & NEUMAN at (206) 795-5798 for a Free evaluation of your case.

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS

Have you been a client of John Gascoyne, formerly with Morgan Stanley in The Woodlands, Texas? Our law firm is reviewing allegations of misrepresentations made by customers against the investment advisor.

A customer complaint was filed with FINRA in March 2023 alleging that Gascoyne made misrepresentations about private equity investments between 2018 and 2020, resulting in investor losses. He had also been the subject of three prior customer complaints, including one made in May 2020 regarding an investment in a hedge fund. The May 2020 complaint was denied by Morgan Stanley.

From June 2009 to January 2023, John Gascoyne was licensed with Morgan Stanley in The Woodlands, Texas office. He had been in the securities industry from 1988 to January 2023.

When a financial advisor recommends an investment to a client, the advisor has an obligation not to misrepresent or omit any material risks of the investment. If any material misrepresentations or omissions are made in connection with the sale of a security, the advisor and/or brokerage firm could be responsible for any investor losses.

View Gascoyne, j BrokerCheck 4.28.23

If you lost money with John Gascoyne or Morgan Stanley, please Contact Us at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.

CARMEL, INDIANA

Have you invested in GWG L bonds through Purshe Kaplan Sterling? Our law firm is reviewing allegations made against Raymond Kramer of Carmel, Indiana who has been with Purshe Kaplan since October 2017.

A customer complaint was made in March 2023 and disclosed on FINRA’s BrokerCheck with respect to Raymond Kramer. The complaint alleges that Kramer recommended GWG in November 2022, and that this recommendation was unsuitable. GWG started missing interest payments in January 2022 and filed for bankruptcy in April 2022, causing significant investor losses.

Raymond Kramer has been in the securities industry since 1999 and has been with Purshe Kaplan Sterling in Carmel, Indiana since October 2017. He is also an investment advisory representative with Monon Wealth Management.

Israels & Neuman represents multiple investors who lost money in GWG L bonds. We also represent investors throughout Indiana.

View Kramer, r BrokerCheck 4.24.23

If you lost money with Raymond Kramer, Purshe Kaplan Sterling, or GWG, please Contact Us at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.

NEW YORK, NY

Did you lose money with financial advisor Brian Wurdemann, formerly with RBC Capital Markets in New York, New York? Mr. Wurdemann was barred by FINRA after he failed to comply with an arbitration award, and was sued by his former brokerage firm, RBC Capital Markets.

Brian Wurdemann is also the subject of a recent customer complaint. The complaint alleges that the customer provided a loan to Wurdemann, and that he failed to repay the loan as promised. Generally, financial advisors are not allowed to borrow money from customers, with limited exceptions. Wurdemann was also the subject of seven other customer complaints during his career in the securities brokerage industry.

Brian Wurdemann had worked with RBC Capital Markets in New York City from May 2017 to May 2022. He was also the subject of a FINRA investigation in November 2022 after he failed to respond to a FINRA investigation.

FINRA Rule 8210 mandates that financial advisors respond to FINRA investigations. In addition, Brokerage Firms must adequately supervise the conduct of its advisors, per FINRA Rule 3110.

Our securities arbitration law firm represents clients all over the country, including investors in New York. We have recovered millions of dollars for investors against numerous firms, including against RBC Capital Markets.

View Wurdemann, b BrokerCheck 4.19.23

If you lost money with Brian Wurdemann or RBC Capital Markets, please Contact Us at 206-795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case.