麻花传媒

Florida Investment Advisor Accused of Orchestrating $94 Million Fraud Targeting International Clients

Posted on August 14th, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Florida Investment Advisor Accused of Orchestrating $94 Million Fraud Targeting International Clients

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at 麻花传媒

Federal prosecutors have charged Andrew Hamilton Jacobus, a former investment adviser based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with defrauding international investors of over $94 million over 20 years. According to ThinkAdvisor, the criminal case centers on allegations that Jacobus misrepresented his investment credentials and used client funds for personal enrichment and Ponzi-like payments to earlier investors.

Prosecutors allege that between 2004 and September 2024, Jacobus knowingly misled investors—primarily Venezuelan nationals and residents of Florida, Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, and Aruba—by promising annual returns of 12 to 15 percent through legitimate securities investments.

According to the federal indictment, Jacobus instead used investor funds to support a lavish lifestyle, cover mortgage and real estate expenses, purchase luxury vehicles, and funnel money into unrelated entities and ventures.

Additionally, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil complaint in May accusing Jacobus and two firms under his control of misappropriating over $17 million from approximately 40 advisory clients. ThinkAdvisor reports that many of the clients were elderly or members of the Catholic clergy in Venezuela. The SEC further claims Jacobus misled clients about investment legitimacy, fund accessibility, and actual account balances, and that he made approximately $7.8 million in Ponzi-like payments.

Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, Jacobus consented to injunctive relief barring him from future securities industry activities, as well as to a forthcoming court order for civil penalties and disgorgement.

 

麻花传媒 LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

That is just fantastic! Thank you very much!

Julie N.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

September 16, 2025
Former Morgan Stanley Advisors Win Partial Court Victory in Client Solicitation Dispute

Two former Morgan Stanley advisors in Hackensack, New Jersey have defeated Morgan Stanley’s initial effort to block them from soliciting clients, according to an August 15 order from New Jersey Superior Court.

September 15, 2025
California Young-Gun Investor Charged in Alleged $6 Million Ponzi Scheme

Federal prosecutors have accused Mihir Deepak Sukthankar, a California resident once celebrated as a teenage trading “prodigy,” of orchestrating a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme.

September 12, 2025
LPL Broker Fined and Suspended for Recommending Risky Investments to Elderly Client

An LPL Financial broker in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, has agreed to sanctions after FINRA found he violated Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) when recommending unsuitable investments to an elderly customer.