The law firm of Oakes & Fosher is presently investigating the alleged misconduct of securities broker Demos Argyros. According to his publicly available FINRA BrokerCheck report, Demos Argyros has been the subject of multiple customer complaints over the course of his career.
Demos Argyros is a Missouri based securities broker. He has worked in the securities industry for thirty-four years. During his career, he has been registered with seven different securities firms.
Registrations
- Dean Witter Reynolds (1985-1986)
- E.F. Hutton & Company (1986-1988)
- Shearson Lehman Hutton (1988-1989)
- Blunt Ellis & Loewi Incorporated (1989-1990)
- Kemper Securities Group (1990-1992)
- CIBC World Markets Corp. (1992-2003)
- Oppenheimer & Co. (2003-Present)
The Allegations Against Him
- In July 1999, a customer alleged that Argyros failed to follow his transactions instructions. They also alleged that he executed unauthorized transactions. This case went to arbitration where the customer was awarded $56,500 in damages.
- In March 2003, customers alleged that Demos Argyros failed to diversify their portfolio and invested them in inappropriate securities.
- In April 2017, a customer alleged that Demos Argyros breached his fiduciary duty, churned their account, converted their funds through excessive fees, and invested them in unsuitable investments. This case was settled for $275,000 in damages.
- In February 2019, a customer alleged that Demos Argyros handled their account negligently, breached his fiduciary duty, and breached contract. This case is currently pending. The customer is seeking $100,000 in damages.
What Does This Mean?
Securities brokers are compensated for their services in multiple different ways. Most commonly, they charge investors a percentage of their principal investment when executing a transaction on their behalf. This can lead to a fraudulent trading practice known as churning. The act of churning occurs whenever a securities broker trades an investor’s account to an excessive degree with the express intent of gaining more commissions for themselves. This is because they would receive an additional commission for every new transaction they execute. This act can be financially detrimental to investors due to the significant fees it can cause them to rack up that drastically lower their principal investments beyond the point of seeing desired returns.
Oakes & Fosher Can Help
Many investors are unaware of the legal recourse available to them after losing money due to securities broker fraud and/or negligence. The truth is that investors who have lost money in this fashion may actually be entitled to damages.
Oakes & Fosher dedicates its entire legal practice to helping investors across the nation. If you, or someone you know, have lost money investing with Demos Argyros, please contact Oakes & Fosher for a free and private consultation. Oakes & Fosher handles cases on a contingency basis, which means there are no fees charged unless we collect for you.
