Tez Romero

Tez Romero is a legal affairs writer at InvestmentNews, covering litigation, regulatory enforcement, and compliance matters that directly affect financial advisors, wealth managers, and investment firms across the United States. Her reporting spans SEC fraud actions, shareholder lawsuits, advisor non-solicitation disputes, employment litigation, and investor fraud cases involving wirehouses, registered investment advisors (RIAs), and alternative investment firms. Among the firms and regulators she has covered are Franklin Templeton, Wells Fargo, TIAA, FS KKR Capital, and Apollo Global Management.

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Tez Romero
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Legal: Scilex accuses BNY Mellon of enabling $100M stock loan fraud
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE MAR 16, 2026
Legal: Scilex accuses BNY Mellon of enabling $100M stock loan fraud

Over 85 million pledged shares allegedly sold through an unauthorized account at the bank

Former advisor sues J.P. Morgan, alleges firm weaponized FINRA compliance
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE MAR 09, 2026
Former advisor sues J.P. Morgan, alleges firm weaponized FINRA compliance

The lawsuit claims the firm slashed his budget, sidelined clients, and risked FINRA breaches.

Disabled banker sues Wells Fargo, alleges diversity push drove his firing
RIA NEWS MAR 05, 2026
Disabled banker sues Wells Fargo, alleges diversity push drove his firing

The banker claims Wells Fargo used his race, gender, and disability against him.

Legal: Class action accuses Apollo of hiding Epstein ties in SEC filings
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE MAR 03, 2026
Legal: Class action accuses Apollo of hiding Epstein ties in SEC filings

Newly released DOJ files tell a very different story than what Apollo told the SEC.

Investors sue JPMorgan, Barclays for burying fraud in $2B securities deal
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE MAR 02, 2026
Investors sue JPMorgan, Barclays for burying fraud in $2B securities deal

Audits flagged the fraud for years. The banks allegedly kept selling anyway.

Legal: SEC charges Florida man in $196M Ponzi scheme selling unregistered securities
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE FEB 25, 2026
Legal: SEC charges Florida man in $196M Ponzi scheme selling unregistered securities

Castellanos allegedly raised $25.2M from over 1,200 investors — without a single securities license.

Legal: SEC charges fund managers with defrauding investors in $12M fund
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE FEB 20, 2026
Legal: SEC charges fund managers with defrauding investors in $12M fund

False contract claims, inflated leasing numbers, and millions in fees investors never knew about.

Legal: Investor sues crypto firm, alleges Ponzi scheme with 48% guaranteed returns
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE FEB 20, 2026
Legal: Investor sues crypto firm, alleges Ponzi scheme with 48% guaranteed returns

The guaranteed returns stopped. The excuses didn't.

Legal: Shareholders accuse Ostin Technology of deepfake-driven $950M pump-and-dump scheme
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE FEB 17, 2026
Legal: Shareholders accuse Ostin Technology of deepfake-driven $950M pump-and-dump scheme

Real advisor names, AI deepfake videos, and a 94% single-day crash — all allegedly connected.

Legal: Former advisor sues TIAA, alleges firm destroyed his career after disability request
REGULATION, LEGAL & COMPLIANCE FEB 17, 2026
Legal: Former advisor sues TIAA, alleges firm destroyed his career after disability request

He ranked in the top ten and accumulated nearly $900 million in assets. Then he asked for help — and lost his job.