Securities Lawyers Blog
According to BrokerCheck records financial advisor Christopher McClure (McClure), currently employed by Westport Capital Markets, LLC (Westport Capital) has been subject to at least two customer complaints and a regulatory action brought by the SEC during the course of his career. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), McClure’s customer complaints allege that McClure breached his fiduciary duty among other allegations.
In December 2017 The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Connecticut-based investment advisory firm and its principal, McClure, with breaching their fiduciary duties and defrauding advisory clients by repeatedly purchasing securities that generated significant amounts of undisclosed compensation.
The SEC’s complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut alleged that Westport Capital and McClure invested advisory clients’ funds in risky securities that generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in undisclosed mark-ups for Westport and resulted in more than $1 million in losses for clients. The SEC found that Westport purchased securities from underwriters at a discount to the public offering price and then, acting as a principal for its own account, re-sold those same securities to its advisory clients at higher prices without disclosing the mark-up. The SEC further alleged that Westport and McClure defrauded a client by acting contrary to the client’s express objectives and instead repeatedly investing the client in risky offerings that generated hidden mark-ups. Moreover, the SEC also found that Westport and McClure made false and misleading representations to clients regarding the compensation that Westport would receive from their accounts.
The SEC’s complaint alleges that investors paid approximately $780,000 in undisclosed mark-ups and fees on top of the advisory fees they paid the firm.
McClure entered the securities industry in 1992. Since August 2001 McClure has been associated with Westport Capital out of the firm’s Westport, Connecticut office location.
Investors who have suffered losses are encouraged to contact us at (800) 810-4262 for consultation. At Gana Weinstein LLP, our attorneys are experienced representing investors who have suffered securities losses due to the mishandling of their accounts. Claims may be brought in securities arbitration before FINRA. Our consultations are free of charge and the firm is only compensated if you recover.