If you or a loved one were a customer of Tyler Delahunt and either sustained financial losses or suspect inappropriate activity, contact New York securities arbitration law firm Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential review of your account or annuity contract.

Iorio Altamirano LLP represents investors that have disputes with their financial advisors or brokerage firms, such as Merrill Lynch.

FINRA Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent No. 2020067348701

Tyler Delahunt and FINRA entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”) on January 25, 2021, after Mr. Delahunt refused to provide documents and information in connection with FINRA’s investigation into whether Mr. Delahunt solicited clients in a private securities transaction without approval of Merrill Lynch and whether he had accepted loans or other funds from clients without notice to his firm.

On September 18, 2020, in connection with an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Delahunt’s termination from Merrill Lynch, FINRA sent a request to Mr. Delahunt to produce documents and information pursuant to FINRA Rule 8210. Mr. Delahunt reportedly stated during a phone call on December 10, 2020, that he would not provide the requested information or documents at any time.

By refusing to provide the information or documents, Mr. Delahunt violated FINRA Rules 8210 and 2010. Accordingly, FINRA barred him from associating with any broker-dealer in all capacities.

Financial Advisor Tyler Dean Delahunt (CRD# 44195094)

Tyler Delahunt had 19 years of experience in the securities industry. Though his career, he was employed and registered by the following brokerage firms:

• Merrill Lynch in Atlanta, Georgia from October 2016 – August 2020.
• PFS Investments Inc. in Duluth, Georgia from April 2016 – October 2016.
• Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. in Alpharetta, Georgia from April 2009 – May 2011.
• Raymond James & Associates, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia from April 2009 – May 2011.
• Merrill Lynch in Cumming, Georgia from December 2003 – April 2009.
• Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee from August 2001 – December 2003.

Merrill Lynch discharged Mr. Delahunt on August 3, 2020. In connection with his termination, Merrill Lynch alleged that Mr. Delahunt’s conduct involved improper solicitation of clients related to private securities transactions and participating in financial arrangements involving clients.

Merrill Lynch: A Duty to Supervise

Financial institutions, like Merrill Lynch, must properly supervise financial advisors and customer accounts. Brokerage firms are required to establish and maintain a reasonably designed system to oversee account activity to ensure compliance with securities laws and industry regulations. When a brokerage firm fails to supervise its financial advisors or the investment account activity sufficiently, it may be liable for investment losses sustained by customers.

How to Recover Losses or Obtain a Free Consultation

If you have suffered financial losses investing with Tyler Delahunt or suspect that Ms. Delahunt did not have your best interest in mind when recommending investments or trading in your account, contact New York securities arbitration lawyer August Iorio of Iorio Altamirano LLP at august@ia-law.com or toll-free at (646) 330-4624 for a free and confidential evaluation of your account.

Iorio Altamirano LLP is a securities arbitration law firm based in New York, NY. We pursue FINRA arbitration claims nationwide on behalf of investors to recover financial losses arising out of wrongful conduct by financial advisors and brokerage firms.

Since leaving Merrill Lynch, Mr. Alame has been affiliated with Insight Advisors, LLC in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and Gate Key Financial, L.L.C., in Raleigh, North Carolina.

If you have lost money with Rawad Alame, contact New York securities arbitration lawyers Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential evaluation of your account.

Mr. Alame and FINRA entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”) on December 21, 2020, over allegations that Mr. Alame participated in private securities transactions involving his management of a customer’s securities account held at another firm. Specifically, FINRA alleged:

• Alame recommended that his customer open a brokerage account at another FINRA member brokerage firm.
• Between February 2019 and July 2019, Mr. Alame recommended and executed 36 transactions in options securities in the account held away from Merrill Lynch.
• The transactions included $578,246 in options purchases.
• The customer paid Mr. Alame at least $2,700 in compensation for his purchase and sale activity in the outside account, which resulted in $107,195 in realized losses.
• Alame did not provide written notice to Merrill Lynch, or obtain the firm’s approval, prior to participating in these private securities transactions.
• Additionally, in April 2019, Mr. Alame falsely certified in response to a Merrill Lynch compliance questionnaire that within the last twelve months he had not been paid by any client for business conducted outside of Merrill Lynch, had not been given passwords to log into a brokerage account, and did not participate in any accounts with clients that were not approved by the firm.

When a financial advisor solicits a customer to participate in a securities transaction that is not offered or approved by the advisor’s employing brokerage firm, it is often referred to as selling away.

Brokerage firms like Merrill Lynch must properly supervise financial advisors and customer accounts. Brokerage firms must also establish and maintain a reasonably designed system to oversee account activity, such as private securities transactions, to ensure compliance with securities laws and industry regulations. When a brokerage firm fails to supervise its financial advisors or the investment account activity sufficiently, it may be liable for investment losses sustained by customers.

If you have lost money with Rawad Roy Alame or Merrill Lynch, contact New York securities arbitration lawyer August Iorio of Iorio Altamirano LLP. August Iorio can be reached at august@ia-law.com or toll-free at (646) 330-4624 for a free and confidential review of your account.

Iorio Altamirano LLP is a boutique law firm located in the heart of New York City. Iorio Altamirano LLP represents investors nationwide who have suffered investment losses due to securities fraud.

If you have lost money with Douglas Stopkey, contact New York securities arbitration lawyers Iorio Altamirano LLP for a free and confidential evaluation of your account.

Douglas Stopkey and FINRA entered into a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent (“AWC”) on October 26, 2020, over allegations related to Stopkey’s conduct between January 2016 and June 2018. Specifically, FINRA alleged:

• Mr. Stopkey executed nearly 300 unauthorized trades in seven accounts belonging to four senior customers.
• He exercised discretion without written authorization by the four senior customers for the accounts to be discretionary.
• Mr. Stopkey lacked his firm’s approval for the accounts to be discretionary.
• He mismarked 65 solicited orders as “unsolicited.”
• M. Stopkey caused Merrill Lynch to maintain inaccurate books and records.

Prior to the FINRA AWC, Stopkey was fined $10,000 by the Division of Securities and Retail Franchising of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s State Corporation Commission. The allegations involved the same misconduct as investigated by FINRA.

Under FINRA rules, to exercise discretionary power, a broker must have prior written authorization from a customer before executing a trade. Prior written consent involves a customer signing a discretionary disclosure that allows the customer also to place limits on the broker’s discretion. Additionally, the firm must approve the account to be discretionary. A broker can then use his discretion and place trades without obtaining the customer’s authorization first. However, without such written authorization by the customer and firm approval, a broker who receives verbal authorization from a client to execute a trade and makes the transaction violates FINRA rules. Oral permission to execute a trade is not sufficient.

In non-discretionary accounts, customers retain discretion, and brokers must always obtain their customer’s permission before placing a trade.

Financial Advisor Douglas Stopkey (CRD#: 2209717)

Mr. Stopkey inaccurately answered compliance questionnaires in March 2016, March 2017, and March 2018, even suggesting to the firm’s compliance department that a security trade in question was a customer’s idea.

Under applicable securities laws and FINRA rules, firms must maintain books and records, including a “memorandum of each brokerage order.” A broker who mismarks an order as “unsolicited” causes a firm to create inaccurate books and records. Mr. Stopkey mismarked 65 trades as “unsolicited” even though he did not discuss the trades with the customers. A “solicited” trade is essentially a trade that was the broker’s idea, and it should be marked as such. A trade confirmation reflecting a “solicited” trade as “unsolicited” should be a red flag to investors.

If you have lost money with Douglas Stopkey or Merrill Lynch, contact New York securities arbitration lawyer August Iorio at info@iorio.law or toll-free at (646) 330-4624 for a free and confidential evaluation of your account.

Iorio Altamirano LLP is a securities arbitration law firm based in New York, NY. We pursue FINRA arbitration claims nationwide on behalf of investors to recover financial losses arising out of wrongful conduct by financial advisors and brokerage firms.