FINRA Settles With Two Advisory Firms Over Improper Sales Of GPB Private Placements

Posted on March 29th, 2022 at 12:00 PM
FINRA Settles With Two Advisory Firms Over Improper Sales Of GPB Private Placements

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has agreed to settlements with two advisory firms over improper sales of GPB Capital Holdings private placements to investors.


The two firms, Georgia-based Dempsey Lord Smith and Texas-based BD4RIA Inc., face regulatory scrutiny amidst GPB’s regulatory failures. Specifically, GPB failed to timely file its audited financial statements, and subsequently cut dividends for some private placements. GPB additionally was charged with fraud in 2021 by the SEC and the Justice Department.


According to FINRA, Dempsey Lord Smith violated industry rules in June 2018 when it “negligently omitted” to inform four investors in GPB private placements that the company had failed to timely file those audited financial statements. Further, FINRA alleged that certain advisors at the firms made unsuitable recommendations of GPB private placements to four clients between September 2015 and June 2018. Similarly, BD4RIA also “negligently omitted” to inform seven clients in June 2018 that GPB had failed to make the required SEC filings, according to FINRA. BD4RIA received a $45,000 fine and has been ordered by FINRA to pay $40,000 in restitution.


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

 
 

Tags: eccleston law, finra, advisory firms

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

I am so blessed to have you and your dynamic team defending me. Your ethics, forward thinking and strategies are amazing.  You guys are the best group of attorneys in the country that I could hire to handle this complicated case.

Cindy C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

April 18, 2025
Robinhood Markets Faces Scrutiny in Massachusetts Investigation

Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin has issued a subpoena to Robinhood Markets Inc., seeking information on the firm’s prediction-markets business and its potential links to gambling.

April 17, 2025
SEC Charges Hedge Fund Founder with Fraud in $4 Million Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Alan Burak, founder of Never Alone Capital LLC, with orchestrating a fraudulent investment scheme that raised approximately $4 million from investors.

April 16, 2025
GWG Bondholders Offered Settlement Worth Just Cents on the Dollar

Distressed investors who purchased $1.6 billion in GWG L bonds may soon receive a small fraction of their original investment under a proposed settlement.