Ex-SW Financial Advisor Donald Johns Faces $938K Complaint

A new investor complaint filed against Melville, New York financial advisor Donald Johns (CRD# 4566047) alleges unauthorized trading and other rule violations that resulted in damages exceeding $900,000. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records show that he is a broker registered with SW Financial, having previously been registered with Arive Capital Markets.

Mr. Johns’ BrokerCheck report discloses two investor complaints. The most recent, filed in November 2022, alleges unsuitable investment recommendations, unauthorized transactions, negligence, excessive trading, and excessive commissions while he was a representative of SW Financial. The pending complaint alleges damages of $938,935.

An earlier investors complaint, filed in 2012, alleged that as a representative of Sterne Agee Financial Services, he made unsuitable investment recommendations, executed excessive trades, made negligent misrepresentations of material facts, and breached his fiduciary duty while he was a representative of Sterne Agee Financial Services. In 2013 the complaint reached a settlement of $41,250.

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Donald Johns holds 19 years of securities industry experience. Based in Melville, New York, he has been a broker with SW Financial since 2020. His registration history includes Arive Capital Markets (North Miami Beach, Florida; 2019-2020), Westpark Capital (Fort Lauderdale, Florida; 2016-2019), Woodstock Financial Group (Boca Raton, Florida; 2016), Primex (Boca Raton, Florida; 2015-2016), Newport Coast Securities (Fort Lauderdale, Florida; 2015), Woodstock Financial Group (Deerfield Beach, Florida; 2014), Hunter Scott Financial (Deerfield Beach, Florida; 2012-2014), Sterne Agee Financial Services (Fort Lauderdale, Florida; 2009-2012), Emmett A. Larkin & Company (Fort Lauderdale, Florida; 2005-2009), and Salomon Grey Financial Corporation (Dallas, Texas; 2002-2005). His credentials include the passage of three securities industry qualifying exams: the General Securities Representative Examination, or Series 7; the Securities Industry Essentials Examination, or SIE; and the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, or Series 63. He currently holds 27 state licenses. (Information current as of April 8, 2023.)

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