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

SEC Charges Chicago Advisor Who Allegedly Misappropriated $683,000 of Investor Funds

Posted on October 7th, 2022 at 1:08 PM
SEC Charges Chicago Advisor Who Allegedly Misappropriated $683,000 of Investor Funds

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged a Chicago-based advisor who allegedly misappropriated $683,000 of investor funds.

The advisor, David Wells, allegedly transferred the funds to a shell company he had created before making some risky options investments, which resulted in a loss of nearly all the funds. Wells confessed to his misconduct in a resignation letter to the registered investment advisory firm that employed him, according to the SEC.

The SEC’s complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, seeks a permanent bar, disgorgement, and civil penalties. According to the SEC, Wells specifically misappropriated funds from three clients, including two clients in their seventies, one of which had dementia. While the SEC did not identify the advisory firm that employed Wells, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) noted that he worked for Fifth Third Securities when FINRA recently barred him from joining any member firms.

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, law, sec

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

If you are being bothered by the Regulators, call Eccleston Law, you won't regret it.

Rick R.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1790355869 Law
September 25, 2026
SEC Bars Advisor for Unauthorized Trades and Client Data Misuse

A California-based investment adviser has agreed to a three-year industry bar and $266,000 in monetary sanctions after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused him of making unauthorized trades, transferring confidential client information to a newly launched registered investment adviser, and concealing his termination from a former...

1790276008 Law
September 24, 2026
FINRA Proposes Expanded Fraud Protections and Trusted Contact Flexibility

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has sent three proposed rules to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for approval.

1790182800 Law
September 23, 2026
SEC Warns Investors About Pre-IPO Investment Scams

The SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) has issued an Investor Alert warning investors about scams that falsely offer opportunities to purchase "pre-IPO" shares of companies.