Vincent Joseph Farrugia Jr. (CRD # 2472598, Registered Representative, Lawrenceville, Georgia) submitted a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which he was fined $15,000 and suspended from association with any FINRA member in any capacity for four months. The fine must be paid either immediately upon Farrugia’s reassociation with a FINRA member firm following his suspension, or prior to the filing of any application or request for relief from any statutory disqualification, whichever is earlier. Without admitting or denying the findings, Farrugia consented to the described sanctions and to the entry of findings that he exercised discretion in effecting transactions in a customer’s account without the customer’s prior written authorization and his member firm’s prior written acceptance. The findings stated that Farrugia made unsuitable investment recommendations to the customer to invest in penny stocks and other speculative securities without a reasonable basis, given the customer’s financial condition and investment objectives. The suspension is in effect from December 7, 2009, through April 6, 2010. (FINRA Case # 2007011808301)

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