Litigation Releases (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.