Stifel Named in Civil Case Against Advisor Charged With Strangling Girlfriend

At the same time, the plaintiff observed Woolworth was “very inebriated, as evidenced by his candid admission of the same and slurred speech,” the complaint says. She expressed concern to Woolworth about “his level of intoxication and insisted that this behavior, which was recurring, was unacceptable and would have to stop if their relationship was to continue.” 

At that point, the complaint alleges, Woolworth “flew into a rage, came up to [her] face,” and insulted her. “In his rage, [he] then physically assaulted and battered” Lenzo and smashed her cellphone, according to the complaint. Woolworth also “charged at Plaintiff, pinned her against the door, and proceeded to strangle her,” the complaint says.

Lenzo called the police on a neighbor’s phone, the complaint says. 

Woolworth was charged with strangulation in the second degree, a Class D felony in New York, according to his Financial Industry Regulatory Authority BrokerCheck profile. 

Lenzo is demanding judgment against Woolworth, Stifel Financial Corp. and Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Inc., including compensatory and punitive damages. Causes of action cited in the complaint are civil assault and battery against Woolworth, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional duress by Woolworth, negligence against the Stifel defendants and negligent supervision and retention by the Stifel defendants.

Stifel and Woolworth didn’t respond to ThinkAdvisor’s requests for comment. Woolworth’s next court date is May 16, 2024, and he expects the charge to be dismissed, he said in a comment on his BrokerCheck profile.

Woolworth is still registered at Stifel, where he has been a broker since 2012, according to his BrokerCheck profile.

He served as a broker for Morgan Stanley and, in 2012, joined Stifel, where he served as a broker and advisor.

According to an Oct. 4, 2012, disclosure on his report, Morgan Stanley discharged him over “concerns resulting from employee’s marking of transactions in his personal securities account as ‘unsolicited’ and his introduction of a private placement not offered by the firm.”