SEC Files Suit Against Georgia Advisor Over Misappropriation of Client Funds

Posted on August 8th, 2022 at 2:25 PM
SEC Files Suit Against Georgia Advisor Over Misappropriation of Client Funds

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is filing suit against a Georgia-based advisor, Christopher Burns, who allegedly misappropriated client funds.

Between April 2017 and October 2020, Burns operated as the sole owner of Investus Advisors, which managed funds for at least 90 advisory clients, according to the SEC. The SEC’s complaint alleged that Burns misappropriated investor funds, falsely informed investors how the funds were invested, and misrepresented how the clients’ investments were performing. Burns recommended that his clients purchased promissory notes issues by two entities that were owned solely by Burns, according to the SEC.

Burns falsely informed investors that the notes were included in a peer-to-peer loan program, known as Peer Connect, and that the proceeds of the note sales would be loaned to small businesses. According to the SEC, Burns informed investors that the notes offered returns between 5% and 15% per year. Instead, Burns misappropriated a substantial portion of the funds and utilized the remaining funds to make Ponzi-style payments to previous investors. According to the SEC, Burns sold at least $10 million in fraudulent promissory notes to investors.   

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, sec, georgia advisor

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

This was the best of all possible outcomes and I cannot thank you and the team enough.

Michael S.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

February 6, 2026
Delaware Regulators Fine Kovack Advisors $985,000

Kovack Advisors Inc., the registered investment adviser affiliate of independent broker-dealer Kovack Securities Inc., agreed to pay a $985,000 fine to Delaware securities regulators.

February 5, 2026
FINRA Fines Broker-Dealer for Repeated Form CRS Disclosure Failures

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined VSI Securities Inc., formerly known as Venecredit Securities Inc., $20,000 for failing to accurately disclose the firm’s disciplinary history in its customer relationship summary, known as Form CRS.

February 4, 2026
Investor Redemptions Rise in Nontraded BDCs Amid Credit Concerns

Financial advisors and their clients have increased redemptions from nontraded business development companies (BDCs) following a series of high-profile corporate bankruptcies, according to InvestmentNews. The surge highlights growing investor concern about liquidity and credit exposure within these high-yield but often risky investment ...