Kevin Charles Brown Audit (2023) – A Scam or Legit Broker?

Kevin Charles Brown  – and the firm that employs him or her – is regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

If you are like most people, before you go out to dinner at a new restaurant, you probably take a quick look at the reviews. This makes sense; you are going to pay for an expensive dinner, and you need to be sure that you are getting a good value.

Yet, when choosing a financial advisor, many people fail to conduct this same level of due diligence. Before turning over access to your money, you need to be sure that you have found a financial advisor that you can trust. Here, our audit report, including details of allegations, complaints, and sanctions will help you decide whether or not to invest with Kevin Charles Brown.

BrokerComplaints.com is currently investigating allegations related to Kevin Charles Brown. We provide a free platform for investors to help them in their claims against negligent brokers and brokerage firms.

About Kevin Brown

Kevin Charles Brown is an Investment Adviser. Kevin Charles Brown’s Central Registration Depository (CRD) number is 1475950 and the FINRA Profile can be found at – https://brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/1475950.

Click here to download a Detailed Audit Report for Kevin Charles Brown.

Kevin Charles Brown has previously been reprimanded and has disclosures and/or client dispute(s) listed at FINRA BrokerCheck.

Accusations and Disclosures

You can find below, a quick snapshot of Kevin Charles Brown’s regulatory actions, arbitrations, and complaints.

DISCLOSURE 1 – 

• Event Date: 11/13/2015
• Disclosure Type: Regulatory
• Disclosure Resolution: Final
• Disclosure Detail :: DocketNumberFDA:
• Initiated By: UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
• Allegations: SEC Admin Release 34-76435/IA Release 4263/November 13, 2015: The Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission) deems it appropriate and in the public interest that public administrative proceedings be, and hereby are, instituted pursuant to Section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) and Section 203(f) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act) against Kevin C. Brown. On November 5, 2015, a final judgment was entered by consent against Brown, permanently enjoining him from future violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 10(b) and 15(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, Sections 206(1), (2), (3), and (4) of the Advisers Act and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder, and Section 7(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, in the civil action entitled Securities and Exchange Commission v. Kevin C. Brown, et al., Civil Action Number 15-cv-05843, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
• Resolution: Order
• Sanction Details :: Sanctions: Bar (Permanent)
• Sanction Details :: Registration Capacities Affected: See comments
• Duration: Indefinite
• Start Date: 11/13/2015 Registration Capacities Affected: Participating in the offering of a penny stock
• Duration: Indefinite
• Start Date: 11/13/2015

DISCLOSURE 2 – 

• Event Date: 10/27/2015
• Disclosure Type: Civil
• Disclosure Resolution: Final
• Disclosure Detail :: Initiated By: UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
• Allegations: The SEC’s complaint alleged that Brown participated in three multi-million dollar offering frauds through the various entities he owned and/or controlled. First, between approximately 2008 and 2014, Brown helped Summit Trust Company (STC) raise over $33 million in a preferred stock offering based upon representations that the proceeds would be used to open additional trust offices and to acquire other assets under management from trust or advisory firms. In fact, Brown and STC used millions of dollars for other purposes, such as paying other STC investors’ preferred stock dividends and redemptions and making payments to Brown’s other affiliated entities. Second, between approximately 2008 and 2013, Brown, acting through Rampart Capital Management, LLC (RCM), Brown Investment Advisors, Inc. (BIA), and STC, helped the Rampart Fund raise approximately $7.9 million in a promissory notes offering for the purported purpose of investing in mezzanine debt financing programs. However, Brown concealed from investors the default by the Rampart Fund’s primary underlying investment and his use of new investor proceeds to pay interest and redemptions due to other Rampart Fund investors. On behalf of the Rampart Fund, Brown also used Fund proceeds to purchase securities which were issued by entities that he owned and controlled without providing disclosure and obtaining effective consent from the Rampart Fund. In addition, he substantially assisted the Rampart Fund in offering and selling securities as an unregistered investment company. Third, from approximately 2004 through 2015, Brown helped Trust Counselors Network, Inc. (TCN) raise over $12 million from investors for various estate planning products, including charitable gift annuities and charitable installment bargain sales. However, due to losses on TCN’s speculative investments, since approximately 2008, Brown operated TCN like a Ponzi scheme by using funds from new investors to meet TCN’s older annuity and other obligations. TCN also misappropriated investor funds by paying undisclosed commissions on sales of the estate planning products, transferring cash to BIA, and making a personal loan to Brown. Furthermore, the complaint alleged that Brown engaged in the unregistered offer and sale of the securities of STC, the Rampart Fund, and TCN. Finally, the complaint alleged that he received transaction-based compensation for proactively soliciting investors to purchase certain securities offered on STC’s trust platform in violation of the broker-dealer registration provisions of the federal securities laws. According to the Complaint Brown violated Sections 5(a), 5(c), 17(a)(1), (2), and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933; Section 10(b) and 15(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 10b-5(a), (b), and (c) thereunder; Sections 206(1), (2), (3), and (4) of the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder; and Section 7(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
• Resolution: Judgment Rendered
• Sanction Details :: Sanctions: Civil and Administrative Penalty(ies)/Fine(s) Sanctions: Disgorgement
• Sanction Details :: Amount: $1,291,842.00 Amount: $1,296,451.00 Sanctions: Monetary Penalty other than Fines Sanctions: Injunction

According to a study prepared for the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, 80 percent of American investors report that they have been solicited to participate in a fraud scheme, while 11 percent of American investors report that they personally lost money as a result of fraud.

FINRA notes that the rate of investment fraud is most likely much higher than it is reported. This is because many victims of financial advisor scams are too ashamed to come forward. Further, the study also found that a significant number of investors do not know how to spot common red flags of investment fraud. The least you should do is share your experience with other potential victims of investment scams.

Previous Associations

Under federal securities law and securities industry regulations, registered investment firms have a legal duty to supervise their financial advisors. Section 15(b)(4)(E) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 makes a securities firm liable for the conduct of representatives.

• MULTI-FINANCIAL SECURITIES CORPORATION (CRD#: 10299) :: 9/28/1990 – 6/19/2001 :: GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO
• JOHN HANCOCK MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY (CRD#: 5181) :: 6/12/1987 – 10/24/1990 :: BOSTON, MA
• AMERICAN PREFERRED SECURITIES, INC. (CRD#: 10959) :: 11/14/1986 – 10/4/1990

The duty to supervise securities representatives is a strong legal requirement. Registered investment firms must take many different steps to ensure that they are protecting their customers from irresponsible and criminal financial advisors.

Legit or Not?

Unfortunately, stockbroker fraud is more common than many investors would like to think. And yes, stockbrokers (including Kevin Charles Brown, but not limited to)  can (and do) steal money from their clients. While it’s rare that a broker will literally steal his client’s money (though that does happen), typically the “theft” of investment funds comes in the form of other fraudulent violations of securities law and FINRA rules which leads to significant investment losses.

Investors generally understand that there are risks associated with buying and selling securities. The market can go up, and the market can go down. No matter how skilled of an investor you are, there are always risks. With that being said, sometimes investment losses cannot be blamed on simple back luck.

There are 10 major types of complaints we receive against Investment Brokers –

• Outright Theft (Conversion of Funds)
• Unauthorized Trading
• Misrepresentation or Omission of Material Facts
• Excessive Trading (Churning)
• Lack of Diversification
• Unsuitable Investment Recommendations
• Failure to Disclose a Personal Conflict of Interest
• Front Running of Transactions
• Breakpoint Sale Violations
• Negligent Portfolio Management

Do your due diligence before investing. Public records are available for everybody to review and decide on the safest bet. 

How to Protect Yourself

We, as citizens, place a great deal of trust in the financial advisors who are tasked with helping us achieve and maintain financial security. Most of the time financial advisors and stockbrokers are honest folks who work diligently in their client’s best interests. However, on occasion financial advisors and the brokerage firms who employ them mess up and cause serious financial harm to their clients. Sometimes these losses are caused by simple negligence. Other times fraud or other serious misconduct is to blame.

Here are 5 signs that your broker needs to be reported –

• Breach of Fiduciary Duty: Under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, certain investment professionals, known as registered investment advisors (RIAs), owe fiduciary obligations to their customers. Your investment broker must always look out for your best interests. If you lost money because of your broker’s breach of fiduciary duty, you may be entitled to compensation for the full value of your damages.
• Unsuitable Investments: Many financial advisors are not fiduciaries. Instead, they are held to the suitability standard. These stockbrokers and financial advisors can only sell and recommend financial products that are appropriate for a customer’s unique investment profile. If you lost money in unsuitable investments, you should consider reporting them.
• Material Misrepresentations or Omissions: Brokers have a duty to make fair and honest representations to their clients. If they fail to do so, and an investor loses money due to a misrepresentation or a material omission, the broker may be liable for the investor’s losses.
• Lack of Diversification: Brokers must also act with the appropriate level of professional skill. Pushing a customer into over-concentrated investments is highly risky. Brokers can be held liable for losses sustained because of an investor’s inappropriate lack of diversification.
• Excessive Trading (Churning): Stockbrokers and financial advisors must have a well-grounded, reasonable basis to execute all trades. Unfortunately, there are cases in which brokers will frequently trade on a customer’s account, simply to increase their own fees. This unlawful practice is known as churning.
• Unauthorized Trading: Brokers must have the proper legal authority to make transactions on behalf of a client. If you lost money because your broker made trades that you never approved of, you may have been the victim of unauthorized trading. You should consult with an experienced attorney.

Report Kevin Brown

In order to prevail in an investment fraud lawsuit or FINRA arbitration cases, you must be able to assert a viable ‘cause of action’.

Kevin Charles Brown – and the firm that employs this broker – is regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). FINRA provides an online form to allow investors to file a formal complaint against their financial advisor, stockbroker, or brokerage firm.

Click here to go to FINRA’s Online Complaint Form →

This form will ask you for specific information related to your complaint. Be prepared by gathering the following:

• Name and symbol for the investment product in question.
• The CRD number (1475950) for the broker – Kevin Charles Brown
• Your complete contact information.

Remember, it is advised to report your broker to FINRA, only after you have exhausted all of your other remedies and carefully prepared a compelling complaint.  Once you file a complaint against your broker at FINRA, your case will be bound by FINRA’s rules and the arbitration panel’s eventual decision. The time clock will start, and your complaint will be served on your broker or broker-dealer.

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the source BROKERCOMPLAINTS.COM and do not necessarily reflect the official position of ‘FraudHalt.com’, which shall not be held liable for any inaccuracies presented. The information provided within this article is for general informational purposes only. While we try to keep the information up-to-date and correct, there are no representations or warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability of the information in this article for any purpose.

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