Federal court finds RIA guilty of fraud
The case, brought by the SEC, involved undisclosed compensation
In a case involving charges of undisclosed compensation brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, jurors in a Connecticut federal court returned a guilty verdict against an RIA firm and its owner.
The jury found that Westport Capital Markets, a registered investment adviser and its owner, Christopher E. McClure, defrauded clients by “repeatedly purchasing securities that generated significant undisclosed compensation, enriching themselves at their clients’ expense,” the SEC said in a release.
“Investment advisers cannot mislead their clients about conflicts of interest,” said Adam Aderton, co-chief of the SEC’s asset management unit.
Specifically, the trial determined that the “defendants acted intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly,” according to the release.
[More: SEC bars former Merrill Lynch adviser over alleged $1.7 million fraud]
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