SEC Charges New York-Based Firm and Supervisors for Failing to Supervise Brokers Who Defrauded Customers

The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged New York-based broker-dealer Alexander Capital L.P. and two of its managers for failing to supervise three brokers who made unsuitable recommendations to investors, “churned” accounts, and made unauthorized trades that resulted in substantial losses to the firm’s customers while generating large commissions for the brokers. Today’s actions find that Alexander Capital failed to reasonably supervise William C. Gennity, Rocco Roveccio, and Laurence M. Torres, brokers who were previously charged with fraud in September 2017. According to the order, Alexander Capital lacked reasonable supervisory policies and procedures and systems to implement them, and if these systems were in place, Alexander Capital likely would have prevented and detected the brokers’ wrongdoing. In separate orders, the SEC finds that supervisors Philip A.