Massachusetts slaps MassMutual unit with $250,000 fine

Regulator says rep defrauded clients by saying variable annuities were commission free.

Securities regulators in Massachusetts have levied a $250,000 fine against MLS Investment Services, a subsidiary of MassMutual, over the company’s failure to supervise an agent who defrauded clients by pressuring them into unsuitable high-commission insurance products.

As part of a consent order filed by the state’s securities division, MLS Investment Services agreed to pay the fine and disgorge any profits related to the unlawful actions of the agent, and to conduct an internal review of its supervisory procedures.

The securities division also said in release that it has filed a separate complaint against the agent, Charles J. Evan, seeking to ban him permanently from operating in Massachusetts. Evan, who has since been terminated by his employers and by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is alleged to have aggressively pushed clients into variable annuities for almost a decade, while falsely claiming not to be receiving commissions on the sales.

In addition to a permanent ban from operating in Massachusetts, the securities division is also seeking an order to require Evan to pay restitution to compensate affected investors for their losses and to pay an administrative fine to the Commonwealth.

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