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

Wisconsin Financial Advisor Suspended and Fined for Unauthorized Transactions

Posted on September 3rd, 2024 at 10:18 AM
Wisconsin Financial Advisor Suspended and Fined for Unauthorized Transactions

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

FINRA has suspended and fined Wisconsin financial advisor John E. Pelletier after he executed 16 unauthorized transactions, allowing a client's ex-wife to nearly deplete his individual retirement account (IRA). As reported by ThinkAdvisor, Pelletier, a senior financial advisor with BMO Investment Services, received a three-month suspension and a $10,000 fine.

The client discovered the unauthorized transactions when his electricity was cut off. His ex-wife, who lived with him and handled the household bills, had taken the money but failed to pay the electric bill for months. This situation led the client to uncover that his IRA had been almost entirely drained without his knowledge.

FINRA's hearing office determined that Pelletier enabled distributions at the direction of DP’s ex-wife, who was not an authorized agent on the account.

Despite Pelletier's claim that the client had given oral authorization for his ex-wife to direct trades, the panel found no evidence supporting this claim.ThinkAdvisor also reports that Pelletier’s actions violated BMO Investment Services’ written policies, which explicitly warned against accepting orders from an account owner’s spouse.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, finra

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Thank you for your professional assistance with this matter. You are very good at what you do.

John T.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1786029344 Law
August 6, 2026
Account Takeover Fraud Continues to Rise as Cybercriminals Refine Their Tactics

Cybercriminals continue to refine account takeover schemes, driving billions of dollars in losses for businesses and consumers each year.

1785949175 Law
August 5, 2026
FINRA Arbitration Panel Orders Arkadios Capital to Pay $2.7 Million in Ponzi Scheme-Related Claim

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel has ordered Arkadios Capital to pay $2.7 million in damages to an investor who alleged the firm failed to supervise a former registered representative whose father operated a long-running Ponzi scheme, according to InvestmentNews.

1785858278 Law
August 4, 2026
SEC Fines Former LPL Broker $125,000 for Undisclosed Conflicts in Private Securities Offerings

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has censured a former LPL Financial broker and imposed a $125,000 civil penalty after finding that he failed to disclose conflicts of interest related to private real estate securities offerings that generated nearly $1.5 million in compensation, as reported by AdvisorHub.