Former Securities America Advisor Charged with Misappropriating $260,000

Posted on November 8th, 2022 at 1:20 PM
Former Securities America Advisor Charged with Misappropriating $260,000

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has barred a former Securities America advisor who allegedly misappropriated $260,000 from clients.

The former Securities America advisor, Jaime Westenbarger, additionally has been charged with seven criminal felony counts, including one court of conducting a criminal enterprise, three counts of embezzlement, and three counts of using computers to commit a crime. Each of the crimes occurred in 2018, according to the website for Kent County’s 63rd District Court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

According to sources, Westenbarger used the misappropriated funds to “pay off credit cards, gamble at various casinos in Michigan, Las Vegas and New Orleans, as well as buy items for himself and his girlfriend.” Westenbarger spent time with six FINRA-registered firms since joining the industry in 2003, including Securities America, which he joined in May 2016, according to BrokerCheck.

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

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We just wanted to say thanks for your work in helping us get back some of the money we lost. We are not by any means rich, but we have saved some money and we have done so through a tight-fisted approach to most everything we do. So losing a significant chunk of money hurt…especially at a time when everyone else was growing their accounts. We really appreciate the work you did.

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