May 2018- Kilgore, TX
The FINRA records of Donna L. Barnard , a stock broker formerly employed by HD Vest Investment Services and Signal Securities, disclose 10 pending customer disputes involving the allegedly fraudulent Woodbridge Mortgage Investment Funds I and II. Barnard is affiliated with Stonelion Insurance & Financial Services in Kilgore, Texas.
Total damages alleged in the ten claims are nearly $4 million. The former customers of H.D. Vest and Signal Securities who are bringing the claims allege unsuitable investments, misrepresentation, failure to perform adequate due diligence and the sale of unregistered securities
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the agency that licenses and regulates stockbrokers and brokerage firms. FINRA requires brokers and brokerage firms to report customer complaints and disputes as well as regulatory sanctions. In addition brokers are required to disclose certain financial matters such as personal bankruptcies, judgments and liens.
Woodbridge-A $1.2 billion Ponzi According to SEC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges and an asset freeze against a group of unregistered funds and their owner who allegedly bilked thousands of retail investors, many of them seniors, in a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.
According to the SEC’s complaint, recently unsealed in federal court in Miami, Florida, Robert H. Shapiro and a group of unregistered investment companies called the Woodbridge Group of Companies LLC formerly headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, defrauded more than 8,400 investors in the unregistered Woodbridge funds.
“We allege that through aggressive tactics, Woodbridge and Shapiro swindled seniors into a business model built on lies, which the SEC’s Miami Regional Office staff moved to halt,” said Stephanie Avakian, Co-Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division.
“Our complaint alleges that Woodbridge’s business model was a sham,” said Steven Peikin, Co-Director of the SEC’s Enforcement Division. “The only way Woodbridge was able to pay investors their dividends and interest payments was through the constant infusion of new investor money.”
“Our complaint further alleges that Shapiro used a web of layered companies to conceal his ownership interest in the purported third-party borrowers,” said Eric I. Bustillo, Director of the SEC’s Miami Regional Office. “Shapiro used the scheme to line his pockets with millions of investor dollars.”
Barnard , who is not currently registered as a broker, was employed by HD Vest Investment Services from 8/2014-5/2017. Prior to that she was with Signal Securities, Inc. from April 2013 until June 2014.
If you have losses in an account handled by Donna Barnard, call for a no charge consultation to learn about your options for recovery of your losses.
Rex Securities Law , with offices in Boca Raton, FL, and Austin, TX, provides representation to investors nationwide who are seeking recovery of investment losses due to the negligence or fraud of stockbrokers and broker dealers. If you have questions about how your account has been handled, call to speak with an experienced securities attorney.
Most cases handled on a contingent fee basis meaning that you do not pay legal fees unless we are successful.
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