NFA permanently barred firms from commodity trading advisor and pool operator membership 

NFA bars Burnet, Texas firm McElhannon Group from membership

National Futures Association (NFA) has permanently barred the McElhannon Group, Inc. (McElhannon Group), an NFA Member commodity trading advisor, from membership and from acting as a principal of an NFA Member.

The Decision, issued by NFA’s Business Conduct Committee (BCC), is based on a Complaint authorized by the BCC on May 28, 2015. The Complaint also named Philip M. Worley, a principal of the McElhannon Group, as a respondent.

Prior to the issuance of NFA’s Complaint, NFA’s Executive Committee took an emergency action, suspending both the McElhannon Group and Worley from membership for failing to cooperate in an NFA examination.

The BCC found that the McElhannon Group used false and misleading promotional material, claiming a rate of return of 457 percent over a 13-year period for its forex managed account program. In addition, the BCC found that the McElhannon Group failed to comply with the terms of NFA’s emergency enforcement action by continuing to actively solicit customers to trade forex. The McElhannon Group’s willful refusal to cooperate with NFA during its examination prevented NFA from completing its examination. Such conduct on the part of the McElhannon Group strikes at the heart of NFA’s examination function, which depends upon the full cooperation of NFA Members in order to operate effectively.

Source: NFA

NFA bars Houston, Texas firm RNS Holdings and its principal, Raja Michael Mawad, from membership

National Futures Association (NFA) has permanently barred RNS Holdings LP (RNS), an NFA Member commodity pool operator, and Raja Michael Mawad (Mawad), the firm’s sole associated person and firm principal, from NFA membership. In addition, RNS and Mawad are both barred from acting as principals of an NFA Member and must transfer the balance in a trading account under their control to a restitution fund at NFA.

The Decision, issued by NFA’s Business Conduct Committee (BCC), is based on a Complaint authorized by the BCC on May 28, 2015.

Prior to the issuance of NFA’s Complaint, NFA’s Executive Committee took an emergency action, suspending RNS and Mawad from NFA membership for misappropriating pool participant funds.

The BCC found that RNS and Mawad misappropriated approximately $180,000 from the RNS Capital LP Fund. Specifically, beginning in 2009, Mawad used the Fund to pay for personal expenses such as jewelry, travel and restaurants. In addition, the BCC found that RNS and Mawad failed to comply with the terms of NFA’s emergency action by attempting to withdraw, without NFA authorization, $50,000 from an account under their control.

Source: NFA

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