Former broker, insurance agent arrested in California on fraud charges

Gautam Arora allegedly defrauded four victims out of $100,000 to secure investments that didn't exist.

A former insurance agent and registered rep, Gautam Arora, was arrested last Thursday in California after an investigation by the state’s Department of Insurance found he allegedly defrauded four victims out of $100,000 to secure investments that did not exist.

Arora, 38, was arrested in Tustin, a city in Orange County, on 11 felony counts of securities violations and money laundering, according to a statement from the California Department of Insurance.

Arora had been a broker licensed with Transamerica Financial Advisors from 2013 to 2019, according to his BrokerCheck report. It appears a significant problem for Arora and his clients was the alleged selling away of investments not approved or sanctioned by the firm.

Transamerica Financial Advisors discharged, meaning fired, Arora in December 2019 after it received information indicating that Arora “solicited various individuals to participate in unapproved investments away from the firm,” according to the BrokerCheck profile. “Additionally, the representative entered into lending arrangements and promissory notes with these individuals without receiving prior approval from the firm.”

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. barred Arora a year later when failed to cooperate with Finra’s investigation about the matter.

Arora could not be reached for comment on Tuesday morning.

After he was arrested Thursday, Arora was booked into the Orange County Jail. Bail was set at $100,500.

“Arora worked as a licensed insurance agent between 2018 and 2019 and recruited individuals to work for him in a multi-level marketing agency,” according to the California Department of Insurance. “He obtained victims’ private financial information through an alleged ‘financial review,’ then solicited victims to invest in his fictitious investments.”

“Arora made numerous material misrepresentations of fact regarding the investments and failed to make clients aware of his poor financial status, which included: overdrawn bank accounts, over $68,000 in credit card debt, and filed civil suits and orders to pay unpaid debts,” the Department of Insurance statement continued. “Victims were led to believe that their investments were legitimate.”