Bradley Tennison: FINRA Bars Mesa, Arizona Financial Advisor

A disciplinary action taken by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority against former Mesa, Arizona broker and investment advisor Bradley Tennison (CRD# 1561988) barred him after finding he refused to provide testimony regarding allegations of selling away. A former representative of Geneos Wealth Management, Tennison was barred from acting as a broker or otherwise associating with a broker-dealer firm.

According to a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (No. 2018058302101) dated August 2018, Bradley Tennison was registered with Geneos Wealth Management from 2005 until 2018, when his registration was terminated by the firm. In April 2018, FINRA initiated an investigation into allegations he recommended a former firm customer make an investment of $300,000 away from the firm. As part of this investigation, FINRA requested documents and information from Tennison, to which he gave “partial responses” before refusing to cooperate further, including an indication through counsel on June 15, 2018 that he would not appear for requested on-the-record testimony “at any time.” FINRA found this refusal constituted a violation of FINRA Rules 8210 and 2010. As a result of the foregoing alleged conduct, Bradley Tennison was barred from associating with any FINRA member firm in all capacities.

Bradley Tennison’s disclosure records also list six settled or pending customer complaints against him.

A 2010 complaint, for instance, alleged that as a representative of Geneos Wealth Management, he recommended an unsuitable limited partnership; the complaint reached a settlement of $10,000. And a 2003 complaint alleged that as a representative of First Allied Securities, he breached his fiduciary duty and made an unsuitable investment recommendation; the complaint reached a settlement of $79,380.

Two pending 2019 complaints allege that while a representative of Geneos Wealth Management, he recommended investments in “The Joseph Project,” which the claimants allege was a Ponzi scheme and a private placement unapproved by the firm. One complaint alleges damages of $4,475,000; the other alleges damages of $1.3 million.

A third pending complaint filed in 2018 alleges that Tennison recommended investments in a fraudulent, unsuitable private placement trust unapproved by the firm; this complaint alleges damages of $1.2 million. A fourth pending complaint, filed in 2018, alleges that he recommended the customer invest in “The Joseph Project,” in which she invested $300,000 but “has not received statements or any return of the principal.” That complaint seeks damages of $300,000.

Bradley Tennison is currently not registered as a broker or investment advisor. His employment history includes Geneos Wealth Management in Mesa, Arizona; Oberlin Financial Corporation in Bryan, Ohio; First Allied Securities in San Diego, California; DE Frey & Company in Denver, Colorado; Kemper Securities Group in St. Louis, Missouri; and Boettcher & Company. He currently holds zero state licenses and has passed five securities industry qualification examinations.