Ohio Advisor Pleads Guilty In $9.3 Million Ponzi Scheme

Posted on January 14th, 2022 at 12:37 PM
Ohio Advisor Pleads Guilty In $9.3 Million Ponzi Scheme

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

A former Northeast Ohio-based advisor, Tara Brunst, has pleaded guilty to her role in a $9.3 million Ponzi scheme. 

Brunst pleaded guilty to several charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. According to the complaint, Brunst operated the scheme along with co-defendants Raymond Erker and Kevin Krantz at Sageguard Wealth Management, which is located in Westlake, Ohio. 

The deception occurred between January 2013 and January 2018. Brunst joined Sageguard in 2015 following her termination from PNC Investments. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Investment Advisor Public Disclosure Database, PNC fired Brunst over allegations that she fabricated a letter at a client’s request to make it appear as though PNC was threatening to close the client’s brokerage accounts. Brunst further failed to inform her manager about the letter while she was failed to cooperate during the investigation, according to the SEC. Brunst also served as a recruiter in the scheme by attracting clients that the co-conspirators could sell investments that they misrepresented as annuities with no risk of loss and a guaranteed rate of return, according to federal investigators. The scheme impacted at least 54 clients and enabled the co-conspirators to misappropriate nearly $9.3 million, according to the complaint. 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, ponzi scheme

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

Jim, Stephany and the whole team were a God send.  We felt like we were put into a situation where we had no advocate. Jim’s team came in with a strong, well laid out strategy on how to get our story heard. Where our outside compliance company had no ability to help, our Broker Dealer was impenitent, and the regulators were aggressive pursuing vague rules, Jim came like a barricade against an assault we did not understand. Though you pay member dues to be affiliated with FINRA and a B/D, you have no voice. The only thing that is truly heard in this un-level playing field is a bulldog’s bark like Jim’s. I would encourage anyone to call Jim and his team to find a real ally in the tough and complicated world of securities regulation. They are truly the best.

Greg P.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 18, 2025
UBS Warns of Rising Default Risk in Private Credit

A UBS report signals that credit stress likely will intensify next year as borrowers confront inflation, elevated interest costs, and softening consumer conditions.

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.