Investor Lawyers Blog
Securities fraud attorneys are currently investigating claims on behalf of the customers of William T. Johnson. A resident of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Johnson is accused of stealing around $500,000 from 13 clients. Johnson allegedly informed his clients that he would invest their money in Certificates of Deposit (CDs), Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), short-term commercial paper and various other products. However, according to the allegations against him, Johnson actually used the money he received from clients to benefit his family and himself. The fraud allegedly took place between July 2003 and September 2011.
Johnson’s attorney reportedly said that Johnson would likely plead guilty. Securities regulators in Maine and Florida have apparently scrutinized Johnson in the past and, in addition, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has already barred him from association with FINRA-registered firms. Securities arbitration lawyers say Johnson previously was associated with Kovack Securities and Next Financial Group Inc.
If Johnson defrauded clients through his company while also registered with Kovack Securities or Next Financial group, he may have been “selling away.” From 2002 until 2009, Johnson was registered with Kovack Securities, and was registered with Next Financial Group from May 2010 to June 2010. According to securities fraud attorneys, “selling away” occurs when a FINRA-registered broker-dealer executes transactions outside his or her registered firm. Investment firms can still be held liable for a broker that is “selling away” if their supervision of that broker is deemed to have been negligent. As a result, it is possible for investors to recover their losses through securities arbitration.