Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

Former Merrill Lynch Broker Settles SEC Case Over $3 Million Investment Fraud

Posted on July 25th, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Former Merrill Lynch Broker Settles SEC Case Over $3 Million Investment Fraud

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A former Dallas-based broker has settled civil charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after stealing nearly $3 million from his clients over nine years.

As reported by AdvisorHub, Rajesh Markan pleaded guilty to related criminal charges in the same court and now faces up to five years in prison. In October, FINRA permanently barred him from associating with any member firm.

According to court documents, Markan’s scheme began in late 2014 while he was registered with Merrill Lynch. He solicited client investments in a fictitious private equity fund, the “Intrinsic Value Portfolio,” falsely claiming it was managed by a well-known New York private equity firm. Markan promised investors market-beating returns and, at one point, provided a fake spreadsheet to back his claims. By 2022, he escalated the deception by offering a formal prospectus for the sham fund.

The SEC detailed how Markan wired client funds directly into his bank account, using the money for personal expenses, including luxury vehicles, dining, shopping, medical treatments, and elective procedures. In one case, he fabricated statements for a couple, making it appear their $300,000 investment had grown over 500 percent to $1.9 million in seven years.

AdvisorHub reports that the fraud began unraveling in 2022 when an investor discovered no such fund existed. Markan returned her investment, along with $140,000, presumably to deter her from alerting authorities. By 2023, with funds depleted, Markan pressed another couple to sell their home and invest the proceeds. Their suspicion triggered broader inquiries among other investors. Markan resigned from Hilltop Securities, where he had moved in October 2022 after leaving Merrill amid an internal probe.

Markan currently faces eight pending customer complaints, filed between August 2024 and February, with claims totaling over $4.3 million in alleged damages, according to AdvisorHub.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, sec

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

You are the best attorneys in the country.

CC

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1781279618 Law
June 12, 2026
FINRA Suspends Former LPL Broker Over Undisclosed Outside Business Activity

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has imposed a $5,000 fine and a 45-day suspension against former LPL Financial broker James R.

1781195016 Law
June 11, 2026
FINRA Suspends Former Raymond James Representative for Improper Account Conversions and Unauthorized Trading

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) sanctioned Paul D.

1781105914 Law
June 10, 2026
Ameriprise Reports Second Data Breach in Less Than Six Months

Ameriprise Financial recently disclosed another data breach, marking the second cybersecurity incident involving the firm in less than six months.