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.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

I just received this letter from the CFP Board. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!

David Y

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

January 15, 2026
FINRA Flags Risks of Early Withdrawals and Exchanges in Registered Index-Linked Annuities

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a renewed warning to the industry about the risks consumers face when they exit registered index-linked annuities (RILAs) before the end of the contract term.

January 14, 2026
FINRA Fines and Suspends Wells Fargo Advisor Over Fictitious Expense Claims

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined and suspended a Wells Fargo Advisors representative in Waco, Texas, after finding that he submitted fictitious business expense claims, according to a FINRA Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) letter.

January 12, 2026
Florida Man Indicted in $36 Million Investment Fraud Scheme

According to news sources, federal prosecutors allege that a Florida man orchestrated a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that funded a luxury lifestyle built on stolen investor money, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.