SEC bars RIA chief compliance officer previously found guilty of fraud

SEC bars RIA chief compliance officer previously found guilty of fraud
Jennifer Campbell was office manager and chief compliance officer for a registered investment advisor in Buffalo, New York.
JUN 22, 2023

The Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday barred the former chief compliance officer of a defunct upstate New York registered investment advisor who was convicted of wire fraud last year and sentenced to three years in prison in March.

Jennifer Campbell, who had been office manager and chief compliance officer at an investment advisory firm based in Buffalo, New York, last November pleaded guilty to wire fraud. From 2018 to 2021, Campbell, 48, used her access to client accounts to steal more than $500,000 from several clients and from the firm itself.

She wrote checks from client accounts, forging the signature of either the client or a principal at the firm, and then deposited the checks into her own personal account, according to the Department of Justice. The SEC also alleged that, with respect to one client account, Campbell executed unauthorized sales of securities to generate cash that she then misappropriated.

The SEC did not include the name of the firm in Buffalo where she worked, but several news websites last year reported that Campbell had worked at Pratt Collard Buck Advisory Group, which closed at the end of 2021. According to the firm’s Form ADV, it had $262 million in client assets. A spokesperson for the firm on Thursday did not comment.

In addition to the three-year prison sentence in the criminal matter, Campbell was ordered by the Department of Justice to make restitution in the amount of $371,000 and ordered to forfeit $357,000.

Here's what wealth advisors need to know before going solo

Latest News

Trump teleprompter operator placed on unpaid leave amid probe into alleged Kalshi bets
Trump teleprompter operator placed on unpaid leave amid probe into alleged Kalshi bets

“The White House has extremely strict ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

GPB, the priest and a get out of jail card
GPB, the priest and a get out of jail card

Just how much does it cost for a financial advice exec to stay out of prison?

St. Louis pension fund sues FS/KKR advisor over alleged excessive fees
St. Louis pension fund sues FS/KKR advisor over alleged excessive fees

The advisor both prices FSK's private loans and gets paid on those prices, the suit claims

SEC moves to make electronic delivery the default for investor disclosures
SEC moves to make electronic delivery the default for investor disclosures

The proposal would end decades of paper-first delivery rules, but keeps a paper opt-out and draws early praise from fund and annuity industry groups.

Trump accounts could encompass every US family, 70 million children, says IRS chief
Trump accounts could encompass every US family, 70 million children, says IRS chief

The Trump accounts are “generationally changing” and bring financial literacy to youth, said IRS chief Frank Bisignano.

SPONSORED Direct indexing webinar targets tax-loss harvesting amid market swings

Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains

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