SEC Charges Son and Father-in-Law Who Targeted Church Members in $20 Million Fraud

Posted on May 8th, 2023 at 1:22 PM
SEC Charges Son and Father-in-Law Who Targeted Church Members in $20 Million Fraud

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law 

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Brett Bartlett and his father-in-law, Scott Miller, along with their companies over fraudulent securities offerings that generated nearly $20.5 million. 

Bartlett and Miller collected funds from at least 1,000 investors between June 2018 and May 2020. According to the SEC, Bartlett and Miller offered promissory notes, stocks, and fraudulent gold contracts through entities they owned, including Dynasty Toys Inc., The 7M eGroup Corp., Concept Management Company LLC, and Dynasty Inc. The SEC further alleges that Bartlett regularly touted his Christian faith and attributed his purported success to divine intervention when he solicited a large group of investors from a church in central Illinois.

In an effort to conceal the fraud, Bartlett and Miller made at least $11 million in Ponzi-style payments and sent nearly $21 million in bad checks to investors that were subsequently bounced, according to the SEC. Bartlett and Miller allegedly used at least $1.2 million to cover personal expenses, including vacations, entertainment, and payments for a luxury rental home. The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement, and civil penalties.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

 


It was really fun seeing you fight for us. You have an amazing way of thinking out of the box.


 

Beth M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

February 19, 2026
Wall Street Journal Analysis Questions Investor Gains Following DuPont's Decade-Long Breakup

A Wall Street Journal analysis has raised questions about investor returns following DuPont’s multi-year corporate restructuring, which divided the historic conglomerate into multiple independent companies.

February 18, 2026
American Portfolios Ordered to Pay $4.6 Million in Restitution Over Cash Sweep Program Disclosures

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has ordered American Portfolios Financial Services to return $4.6 million to customers and pay monetary sanctions after determining that the firm overcharged investors and failed to properly disclose how it generated revenue through a cash sweep program.

February 17, 2026
FINRA Fines Kingswood Capital Partners $150,000 for Supervisory Failures in GWG L Bond Sales

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) censured and fined San Diego–based broker-dealer Kingswood Capital Partners $150,000 after finding supervisory failures tied to sales of high-risk GWG L bonds.