Morgan Stanley Representative Fined and Suspended for Fraudulent Wire Transfers

Debra J. Ferrara, a non-registered associate employed by New York NY-based Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (Morgan Stanley), submitted a letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (AWC) in which she consented to, but did not admit to or deny, the entry of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) findings that she falsely represented that she had verbally confirmed five wire transfers totaling $108,680 which turned out to be fraudulent requests from a customer’s hacked email account. Debra Jean Ferrara, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, allegedly caused five fraudulent wire disbursements to be transferred from a customer’s account to a third-party bank.  According to FINRA, Ms. Ferrara, a client services associate with Morgan Stanley, was sent an email with a request for a wire transfer of $27,750 from the hacked account of a client to a third party account.  Ms. Ferrara completed the wire processing form stating falsely that she had verbally confirmed the transfer request when she had not.  FINRA found that two days following the first hacked account wire request, Ms. Ferrara received another email from the imposter from an email that looked similar, but was different.  The “m” in the email address had been changed to an “n” this time.  Again, Ms. Ferrara processed the wire transfer requests, falsely attesting to verbally confirming the request when she had not.

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Morgan Stanley Broker Suspended by FINRA for Falsifying Customer Account Documents

Byron A. Echeverria, a General Securities Representative formerly employed with the Houston, Texas branch of Morgan Stanley, submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent in which he consented to, but did not admit to or deny, the described sanctions and the entry of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) findings that he falsified customer account documents without the customers’ knowledge. FINRA’s findings state that Byron A. Echeverria, of Katy, Texas, falsified ten documents related to ten customer accounts. Some of the falsified documents included disclosure forms, transfer forms and IRA distribution forms. Mr. Echeverria allegedly re-used original customer signatures from previously executed documents, recycled customers’ signed signature pages from expired forms, affixed customer initials to handwritten changes, and altered tax withholding amounts in order to expedite transactions. None of the customers were aware of the altered forms or that their signatures had been affixed by Mr. Echeverria.

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Former Morgan Stanley and UBS Financial Broker Barred by FINRA for Financial Abuse of an Elderly Customer

Former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (Morgan Stanley) and UBS Financial Services, Inc. (UBS) broker John Anthony Waszolek, of Scottsdale, Arizona, submitted an Offer of Settlement in which he consented to, but did not admit to or deny, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) findings that he took unfair financial advantage of an 81-year-old customer who had twice been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and suffered from dementia and memory loss. According to FINRA, John Waszolek (Waszolek) was informed by an estate planning attorney that she would not amend the elderly client’s trust to make Waszolek a beneficiary because it had been determined that the client lacked sufficient testamentary capacity. However, through a separate attorney, Maszolek gained appointment as successor trustee and residual beneficiary of the client’s trust. Upon the elderly client’s death, FINRA found that Waszolek attempted to inherit more than $1.8 million from the estate.

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Boca Raton Florida Morgan Stanley Representative Fined and Suspended

Ronald Cohen of Boca Raton, Florida submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) to the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegedly engaging in outside business activities without providing prior written notice to his firm. Cohen entered the securities industry in July 1992. Between 2009 through September 2014, Cohen was a General Securities Representative with Morgan Stanley. Cohen voluntarily left Morgan Stanley in September 2014 while under investigation for failing to disclose outside business arrangements.

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Morgan Stanley Fined $675,000 for Failing to Address Short Positions in Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds

Morgan Stanley & Co. and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC of New York submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent to the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegedly failing to supervise and implement adequate written procedures to comply with Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) rules relating to short positions in tax-exempt municipal bonds.

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Former Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo Representative Suspended

Sylvester King Kr. of Miramar, Florida submitted a Letter of Acceptance Waiver (AWC) to the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for allegedly concealing loans to customers participating in undisclosed private securities transactions and providing false information to his employer. In 2009 King and his partner formed PKG, a d/b/a branch office located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that was registered with Morgan Stanley and later Wells Fargo. PKG provided financial “concierge” services to professional athletes that played in the NFL and NBA. FINRA found that from November 14, 2011 through January 23, 2012, King assisted his partner in loaning approximately $399,500 to three professional athletes in the NFL and NBA who were also Wells Fargo customers. FINRA alleged that separate accounts were made and various wiring techniques were used to conceal the loans from Wells Fargo and its reporting requirements.

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Former Fort Lauderdale Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo Representative Barred

Aaron Parthemer of Fort Lauderdale, Florida submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) to the Department of Enforcement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Agency (FINRA) for the purpose of settlement for allegedly engaging in several outside business activities without his firm’s prior written knowledge. Parthemer first became registered with FINRA as a General Securities Representative (GSR) in October 1994. From June 2009 through October 2011, Parthemer was registered with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (Morgan Stanley) as a GSR. On November 4, 2011 Morgan Stanley filed a Uniform Termination Notice for Securities Industry Registration (Form U5) under Parthemer’s request. From October 21, 2011 to present, Parthemer has been registered through Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC (Wells Fargo) as a GSR.

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Former Morgan Stanley Broker Fined and Suspended for Discretionary Trade Violations

Debra Kaye Lyman, a former registered representative with the Holladay, Utah branch of Morgan Stanley, submitted a letter of acceptance, waiver, and consent in which she consented to, but did not admit to or deny, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) findings that she entered discretionary trades in several customers’ accounts without the necessary prior written customer authorization. FINRA found that Debra Lyman, of West Jordan, Utah, neglected to obtain the necessary written customer authorization or the acceptance by her firm of the accounts as discretionary when she effected discretionary trades in at least six customers’ accounts. According to FINRA, Debra Lyman had been previously reprimanded and suspended by Morgan Stanley for engaging in similar broker misconduct. Further, Ms. Lyman allegedly misrepresented on a Firm Employee Sales Questionnaire that she had not transacted business on a discretionary basis for any accounts.

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