The Monetary Trade Regulatory Authority has levied a $500,000 nice in opposition to Dawson James Securities and suspended its CEO for failing to protect and evaluation over 10,900 business-related textual content messages despatched or obtained by at the least 27 related individuals.

The broker-dealer’s CEO, Robert Dawson Keyser Jr., was additionally suspended for one month and ordered to pay a $10,000 nice.

In line with FINRA’s order, Dawson James has been a FINRA member agency since 2004.

Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the agency has three department places of work and about 35 registered representatives. The agency conducts a common securities enterprise, primarily promoting non-public and public securities choices, and its FINRA document contains 15 disclosures.

Keyser Jr., Dawson James’ CEO, entered the securities trade in 1984 when he grew to become related to a FINRA member agency.

Since August 2012, he has been registered with FINRA in a number of capacities, together with as a common securities consultant and common securities principal, by way of his affiliation with Dawson James. Keyser Jr. additionally has been the chief government officer and a shareholder of Dawson James since August 2012.

From August 2011 by way of January 2021, Dawson James did not protect and evaluation over 10,900 business-related textual content messages despatched or obtained by at the least 27 related individuals, together with Keyser Jr.

Furthermore, “Keyser Jr. despatched or obtained roughly 4,400 textual content messages referring to the agency’s securities enterprise from August 2011 to December 2017, which the agency didn’t retain,” the order states. “Throughout this era, Dawson James prohibited related individuals from speaking about securities enterprise through textual content message.”