FINRA Bars Advisor for Raising $11 Million in Unapproved Private Investments

Posted on April 11th, 2025 at 1:00 PM
FINRA Bars Advisor for Raising $11 Million in Unapproved Private Investments

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has barred a 21-year industry veteran for engaging in unapproved private securities transactions totaling $11 million. The ban was finalized in a FINRA Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent letter (“AWC”), as reported by AdvisorHub.

According to the AWC, between March 2020 and January 2023, the advisor recommended and facilitated 19 securities transactions tied to various business ventures, including a flooring company, an upscale furniture retailer, a mobile home park, and a real estate development project. FINRA reported that he solicited investments from 27 individuals, 22 of whom were his clients.

During this period, the advisor, who was associated with LPL Financial and its affiliated advisory firm Independent Advisor Alliance (IAA), received $173,000 in compensation from these businesses for consulting work, management services, and investor referrals.

However, the AWC states that he failed to notify or obtain written approval from LPL before engaging in these private securities transactions, a direct violation of FINRA rules.

In addition to engaging in unapproved private investments, FINRA found that the advisor sent more than 2,250 messages related to securities business through an unapproved personal email and cellphone. According to AdvisorHub, the regulator determined that he violated FINRA rules governing recordkeeping and the requirement that advisors adhere to high ethical standards.

AdvisorHub reports that this enforcement action comes as FINRA considers updates to its rules governing outside business activities and private securities transactions, potentially altering firms’ oversight responsibilities.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, finra

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

If the regulators are after you, and are trying to make a case against you, and you are going to contest their allegations against you, make sure you have the best securities industry defense lawyers, Eccleston Law Firm. My case was spun into a combination of penalties including fines, cash settlements, CE courses and suspension. They were the best I have seen in action. When all was said and done, they had done their magic, my situation was negotiated and settled with a simple "letter of caution" and a case closed without action. It is the most important legal business decision you will ever make, make it Eccleston Law.

Rick R.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 17, 2025
Audit Failures, Whistleblower Claims, and Renewed Scrutiny of the Big Four

A series of lawsuits, congressional findings, and high-profile corporate collapses has reignited long-standing concerns about the audit industry’s ability to confront fraud, as reported by Bloomberg Law.

December 16, 2025
Reminders for CFAs in Adhering to Compliance Standard, Client-Disclosure and Conflict Management Requirements

In 2023, the CFA Institute Board of Governors approved targeted revisions to the Standards of Professional Conduct, adding one new standard and updating two others.

December 15, 2025
FINRA Sanctions Former Merrill Broker for Unapproved Referral Payouts

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued a six-month suspension and a $7,500 fine against former Merrill Lynch broker Jeremiah Householder after finding that he accepted referral commissions from an unapproved third-party lender.