Commission Finds Phoenix Insurance Producer Defrauded Investors

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A Phoenix insurance producer Patrick Jon Runninger and his affiliated company, The Financial Group, LLC, has been ordered by the Arizona Corporation Commission to pay $3,606,451 in restitution and $100,000 in administrative penalties for defrauding investors in a real estate investment scheme.

The Commission found that Runninger and The Financial Group LLC offered and sold securities issued by companies controlled by EquiAlt, LLC, to 28 investors. The Corporation Commission found respondent Runninger has been a licensed Arizona insurance producer since 2002, but he and his affiliated company were not registered to offer or sell securities in Arizona.

The Corporation Commission found the respondents hosted focus groups where the debentures issued by EquiAlt, LLC was presented. Also, the Commission found one investor met Runninger when he came to the investor’s house to create a trust for her.

The Commission found that Runninger and The Financial Group LLC told potential investors that their investment money would be used to flip, lease, or purchase distressed or foreclosed real estate.

The Commission found Runninger and his affiliated company failed to disclose to investors that they were getting paid commissions that were derived from a percentage of the principal amount invested, when the subscription agreements given to investors by the respondents stated they did not receive commissions.

Also, the Commission found that Runninger and The Financial Group LLC failed to inform some of the investors that there was a penalty or fee associated with early withdrawals before the investment had matured, and generally misrepresented to investors the risks associated with the EquiAlt debentures.

In February of 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint against EquiAlt, LLC and its principals. In its complaint, the SEC alleged that EquiAlt had been conducted as Ponzi scheme since 2011 and raised over $170 million from the sales of EquiAlt debentures to over 1,100 investors nationwide.

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