FBI charges missing radio show adviser with mail fraud

FBI charges missing radio show adviser with mail fraud
Christopher W. Burns allegedly defrauded hundreds of thousands of dollars from clients, according to the agency
OCT 29, 2020

The FBI earlier this week charged a missing Atlanta financial adviser, who went on the lam last month ahead of an investigation with the Securities and Exchange Commission, with one count of mail fraud.

On Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had issued a warrant for the arrest of Christopher W. Burns, 37, who has been missing since he left his home on Sept. 24, according to a statement.

That was the day before he was supposed to turn over documents related to his businesses to the SEC. Burns is also under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, according to the FBI.

The host of a local weekly radio show, Burns conducted business through a number of entities, including Investus Advisers, Investus Financial, Dynamic Money and Peer Connect, according to the agency, which believes the adviser has defrauded a number of victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Financial advisers under duress from regulators and investigations were commonplace during the financial crisis of 2008, and some even fled in an attempt to escape scrutiny into their businesses and practices.

Investus Advisers has no assets under management, according to its most recent Form ADV filing with the SEC. Christopher Burns is listed as the firm’s principal and chief compliance officer.

Latest News

MetLife poll finds high-value home sales are becoming tax-planning events
MetLife poll finds high-value home sales are becoming tax-planning events

A new MetLife survey finds real estate professionals are increasingly steering clients toward tax experts as rising property values leave more sellers facing significant capital gains.

Kestra adds Raymond James recruiter to expand advisor hiring push
Kestra adds Raymond James recruiter to expand advisor hiring push

The independent broker-dealer expands its business development bench with a new recruiter and an internal promotion in the West.

Cerity Partners names Will Peng chief innovation officer
Cerity Partners names Will Peng chief innovation officer

The leading ultra-high-net-worth RIA joins other large wealth firms, including Raymond James and LPL, in creating executive roles focused on artificial intelligence strategy

BlackRock expands Aladdin's private markets benchmarking tools
BlackRock expands Aladdin's private markets benchmarking tools

New Preqin-powered benchmarks add transparency to private equity and credit performance across BlackRock's platforms.

Fed's Bowman pushes for lighter-touch AI oversight at smaller firms
Fed's Bowman pushes for lighter-touch AI oversight at smaller firms

Supervision vice chair speaks following recent launch of AI adoption practices by regulators.

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.