Former Pennsylvania Advisor Sentenced to Prison for Running a $1.2 million Ponzi Scheme

Posted on November 3rd, 2017 at 3:26 PM

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law LLC:

Former Edward Jones financial advisor, Bernard Parker was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for running a six-year $1.2 million Ponzi scheme. 

 Mr. Parker was convicted in June for securities fraud, mail fraud and tax violations. Mr. Parker was affiliated with Edward Jones during the time he orchestrated the Ponzi scheme and ran the scheme through his own company, Parker Financial Services.

According to the FBI and IRS, from 2008 through 2014, Mr. Parker solicited clients he had previously worked with, including several elderly clients, to purchase tax lien certificates for real estate and other investment products he sold that were not registered by the state of Pennsylvania or by the SEC.  Moreover, according to prosecutors, instead of actually investing the money as promised, Mr. Parker diverted funds for his own use to pay off his house, car, and medical bills, and to pay off earlier investors in Ponzi scheme-like fashion.

The attorneys of Eccleston Law LLC represent investors and advisors nationwide in securities and employment matters. The securities lawyers at Eccleston Law also practice a variety of other areas of practice for financial advisors including Broker Litigation & ArbitrationStrategic Consulting ServicesRegulatory  MattersTransition Contract Review, and much more. Our attorneys draw on a combined experience of nearly 65 years in delivering the highest quality legal services. If you are in need of legal services, contact us to schedule a one-on-one consultation today.

Related Attorneys: James J. Eccleston

Tags: Jim Eccleston, Eccleston Law, Eccleston Law LLC, Eccleston, Edward Jones, ponzi scheme

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