Investor Lawyers Blog
On September 14, 2018, the SEC initiated a civil action (the “Complaint”) in federal court in the Southern District of Indiana against Ms. Tamara Rae Steele (CRD# 3227494) (“Steele”), as well as her eponymous investment advisory firm, Steele Financial, Inc. (“Steele Financial”), alleging that Ms. Steele had defrauded a number of her advisory clients through recommendations to invest in certain high-risk securities issued by Behavioral Recognition Systems, Inc. (“BRS”), in a scheme that purportedly generated $2.5 million in commissions for Ms. Steele’s benefit. According to publicly available information through FINRA, Ms. Steele, a former middle school math teacher, first began working as a financial in or around 1999. Most recently, she was affiliated with broker-dealer Comprehensive Asset Management and Servicing, Inc. (CRD# 43814) (“CAMAS”) from January 2009 – July 2017. Ms. Steele’s CRD record showing her employment history and customer claims filed with FINRA is accessible below.
As alleged by the SEC in its Complaint, Ms. Steele was terminated by her former employer, CAMAS, when the “broker-dealer learned that [she] was selling BRS securities outside the scope of her employment with the firm and without the firm’s knowledge and approval, a practice called ‘selling away’ from the firm.” Specifically, the SEC has alleged that Ms. Steele fraudulently recommended “over $13 million in extremely risky securities issued by a private company, Behavioral Recognition Systems, Inc. (‘BRS’).” Further, the SEC has alleged that Ms. Steele violated her fiduciary duty to her clients — many of whom were unaccredited retail investors who were either current or former teachers and public-school employees — by purportedly failing to disclose that she was earning “[c]omissions ranging from 8% to 18% of the funds raised for BRS.” The SEC Complaint is accessible below:
In violation of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws, the SEC has alleged that Ms. Steele’s purported scheme centered on selling high-risk securities in BRS, a Texas-based corporation now known as Giant Gray, Inc. As alleged by the SEC, Ms. Steele began earning commissions of 8% on sales of BRS securities beginning in December 2012; approximately two years later, her commission was upped to 18%. Furthermore, between December 2012 and May 2014, as alleged by the SEC, she “[r]ecommended and sold approximately $7.2 million in BRS securities.”
Brokerage firms like CAMAS have a duty to ensure that their registered representatives are adequately supervised, a duty which includes monitoring their brokers in connection with outside business activities and/or sales of investments in so-called private placements. Brokerage firms must also take reasonable steps to ensure that their financial advisors follow all applicable securities rules and regulations, in addition to internal policies and procedures. In instances when brokerage firms fail to adequately supervise their registered representatives, they may be held liable for losses sustained by investors.
Attorneys at Law Office of Christopher J. Gray, P.C. have successfully resolved a number of disputes on behalf of investors, including losses sustained due to stockbroker and financial advisor misconduct and unauthorized sales of securities (sometimes referred to as “selling away”). Investors may contact us by telephone at (866) 966-9598, or by e-mail at newcases@investorlawyers.net for a no-cost, confidential consultation.
Attorneys at the firm are admitted in New York and Wisconsin and various federal courts around the country, and handle cases nationwide (in cooperation with attorneys located in those states if required by applicable rules).