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Urgent Enforcement Added Final

SEC v. Camarda, McArthur, A.G. Morgan Financial - $138M Investment Adviser Fraud

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Filed April 3rd, 2026
Detected April 3rd, 2026
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Summary

The SEC charged registered investment adviser A.G. Morgan Financial Advisors LLC and its principals Vincent J. Camarda and James E. McArthur with an alleged $138 million offering fraud affecting at least 431 investors. The defendants allegedly recommended high-risk private equity funds while misrepresenting them as conservative investments, misappropriated approximately $1 million for personal use, and failed to disclose conflicts of interest. Criminal charges were also filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

What changed

The SEC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (No. 26-civ-1986) charging A.G. Morgan Financial Advisors, Camarda, and McArthur with violating Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5, and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. From approximately June 2020 through December 2023, defendants allegedly induced advisory clients, many elderly and financially unsophisticated, to invest in promissory notes of private funds that actually invested in a high-risk mining venture and a coffee shop operated by Camarda's son, while falsely representing the investments as conservative and diversified. Camarda allegedly misappropriated $1 million for personal use.

Registered investment advisers should review their conflict-of-interest disclosure practices and ensure full transparency regarding fund investments and related-party transactions. Compliance teams should audit client suitability assessments and disclosure documents for consistency with actual investment activities. The SEC seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and conduct-based injunctions against the principals.

What to do next

  1. Review and strengthen conflict-of-interest disclosures for investment recommendations
  2. Audit fund investment disclosures for accuracy against actual portfolio composition
  3. Ensure client suitability processes adequately account for investor sophistication and risk tolerance

Penalties

SEC seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties against all defendants, plus conduct-based injunctions against Camarda and McArthur. Criminal charges filed by U.S. Attorney's Office for Eastern District of New York.

Source document (simplified)

More in this Section

Vincent J. Camarda, James E. McArthur, and A.G. Morgan Financial Advisors, LLC

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 26520 / April 3, 2026

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Vincent J. Camarda, James E. McArthur, and A.G. Morgan Financial Advisors, LLC, No. 26-civ-1986 (E.D.N.Y. filed Apr. 3, 2026)

SEC Charges New York-Based Investment Adviser and Its Principals in Alleged $138 Million Offering Fraud

On April 3, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged registered investment adviser A.G. Morgan Financial Advisors, LLC and its principals, Vincent J. Camarda and James E. McArthur, with allegedly perpetrating an offering fraud that raised at least $138 million from at least 431 investors.

According to the SEC’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, from approximately June 2020 through at least December 2023, Defendants fraudulently induced their advisory clients, many of whom were elderly and financially unsophisticated, to purchase securities in the form of promissory notes issued by five high-risk private equity funds that Camarda and McArthur created, managed, and owned.  As alleged, while Defendants told investors that the investments were conservative and safe and that the funds would invest in several diverse areas, in reality, four of the funds invested entirely in a high-risk mining venture and the fifth invested entirely in a start-up coffee shop company operated by Camarda’s son. The complaint further alleges that Defendants failed to disclose their substantial conflicts of interest in recommending the funds to their clients, namely, that Defendants received payments in connection with the funds’ investments in the mining venture and that one of the funds was created for the sole purpose of funding Camarda’s son’s coffee shop company.  In addition, Camarda is alleged to have misappropriated approximately $1 million of client money by transferring it to his personal bank account.

The SEC’s complaint, which follows a prior enforcement action against Camarda, McArthur, and A.G. Morgan, charges Defendants with violating Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.  The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties against all Defendants, as well as conduct-based injunctions against Camarda and McArthur.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced criminal charges against Camarda.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Laurel S. Fensterstock, Peter Mancuso, and Benjamin Mishkin, and supervised by Rebecca Reilly and Sheldon L. Pollock, all of the SEC’s New York Regional Office. The litigation will be led by Ms. Fensterstock, Mr. Mancuso, and Mr. Mishkin under the supervision of Jack Kaufman. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Resources

CFR references

15 U.S.C. 77e(a) 15 U.S.C. 77e(c) 15 U.S.C. 77q(a) 15 U.S.C. 78j(b) 17 CFR 240.10b-5 15 U.S.C. 80b-6(1) 15 U.S.C. 80b-6(2)

Named provisions

Sections 5(a), 5(c), and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940

Source

Analysis generated by AI. Source diff and links are from the original.

Classification

Agency
SEC
Filed
April 3rd, 2026
Instrument
Enforcement
Legal weight
Binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Substantive
Document ID
Litigation Release No. 26520 / No. 26-civ-1986 (E.D.N.Y.)

Who this affects

Applies to
Investment advisers Investors
Industry sector
5239 Asset Management 5231 Securities & Investments
Activity scope
Investment Advisory Services Private Fund Management Securities Offering
Geographic scope
United States US

Taxonomy

Primary area
Securities
Operational domain
Compliance
Compliance frameworks
Dodd-Frank SOX
Topics
Financial Services Consumer Protection

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