Finra bars broker who took wife's cash to pay brother's debt

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. on Wednesday barred a former RBC Capital Markets broker who took $5,000 from his then-wife's retirement account and used it to pay a debt for his brother, according to the Finra settlement. The broker, Jonathan Freehill, began working in the securities industry in 2012 and was employed at RBC from June 2013 to July 2016, according to his BrokerCheck report.​ Prior to his divorce, Mr. Freehill was the broker of record at RBC for his wife's individual retirement account, according to the Finra settlement. In June and July of 2014, Mr. Freehill "converted," or took, $5,000 by making early distributions from his wife's IRA and transferring the funds to a third party to pay a debt for his brother. He made the transfer without his wife's knowledge or authorization, according to Finra. Mr. Freehill agreed to the Finra settlement without admitting to or denying its findings. His attorney, David E. Robbins, did not return a call Thursday to comment.