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

Unregistered Advisors Perpetrate Scheme While Concealing Disciplinary Histories

Posted on April 22nd, 2022 at 1:48 PM
Unregistered Advisors Perpetrate Scheme While Concealing Disciplinary Histories

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed suit against two unregistered advisors for hiding their disciplinary records from investors while engaging in a scheme that generated at least $9 million. 

Joseph DeVito and Dean Esposito allegedly solicited investments in Property Income Investors LLC, which purportedly was created to purchase and renovate multifamily properties. However, the SEC alleges that the sales were completed in violation of orders entered after past SEC enforcement actions, according to the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. DeVito and Esposito allegedly failed to inform potential investors about their disciplinary records, “including that they were enjoined from violating the offering and broker-dealer registration provisions and the antifraud provisions of both the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and had full associational and penny stock bars entered against them”, according to the SEC. 

The SEC further alleged that the unregistered advisors referred to themselves as “Dean Anthony” and “Salvatore DeVito” when talking to potential investors in an effort to hide their true identities and disciplinary histories. Property Income Investors paid Esposito and DeVito commissions of $245,750 and $246,750, respectively, according to the SEC. 

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

 

Tags: eccleston law, sec, financial advisors

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

I am grateful to have found an outstanding law firm that specializes in securities matters. My lawyers were extremely knowledgeable, diligent, and are skilled litigators. No stone was left upturned. As a result of their experience and tenacity, the arbitration proceeding was dismissed in my favor.

Michael E.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1781893504 Law
June 19, 2026
FINRA Suspends Former Stifel Rep for Undisclosed Customer Settlements

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has suspended a former Stifel representative for three months and imposed a $10,000 fine after finding that she settled customer complaints without notifying her firm and conducted securities-related communications through an unapproved personal device.

1781798110 Law
June 18, 2026
Silver Star Properties REIT Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Mounting Defaults and Investor Losses

Silver Star Properties REIT, a publicly registered nontraded real estate investment trust formerly known as Hartman Short Term Income Properties XX Inc., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to reports by AltsWire.

1781712614 Law
June 17, 2026
As Wealth Management Consolidation Accelerates, Some Advisors Reevaluate the Meaning of Independence

According to AdvisorHub, the independent wealth management industry has entered a new phase of evolution, prompting some advisors to question whether the firms that once championed independence now increasingly resemble the traditional institutions many advisors left behind.