John Drabek: Griffin Realty Complaint Against Calton Advisor

Mesa, Arizona financial advisor John Drabek (CRD# 1335813) recently received an investor complaint alleging he made unsuitable investment recommendations. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records show that he is a broker and an investment advisor with Calton & Associates, and that he is also registered with the firm’s offices in Tampa, Florida and East Lyme, Connecticut.

Mr. Drabek’s BrokerCheck report discloses two investor complaints. The most recent, filed in July 2023, alleges that as a representative of Calton & Associates, he unsuitably recommended investments in Griffin Realty Trust and CIM Real Estate Finance Trust. The pending complaint alleges damages of $200,000.

In a statement included with the pending complaint’s disclosure, Mr. Drabek denied the allegations, writing that he primarily worked with the claimant’s husband, whom he described as an intelligent and sophisticated investor. “He was aware that I offered a full array of securities & insurance (annuity) products,” he wrote. “We discussed these choices, how they worked & their risks. He was looking for investments that offered the potential for higher rates of return. He & his wife… chose to invest in the two acc[oun]ts, understanding how they worked, their potential & risks associated.”

An earlier investor complaint, filed in 2012, alleged that as a Calton & Associates representative, he failed in his supervisory duties, acted negligently, recommended unsuitable real estate securities, misrepresented material facts, and breached contract. In 2013 the complaint reached a settlement of $24,000.

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, John Drabek holds 37 years of securities industry experience. Based in Mesa, Arizona, he has been a broker and an investment advisor with Calton & Associates since 2010 and 2022, respectively. He is also registered with the firm’s offices in Tampa, Florida and East Lyme, Connecticut. His past registrations include Valic Financial Advisors, BA Investment Services, Piper Jaffray,  Liberty SecuritiesCorporation, GAF Financial and Insurance Services, Pamco Securities and Insurance Services, AG Edwards & Sons, and Buchanan & Company. His credentials include the passage of five securities industry qualifying exams: the General Securities Principal Examination, or Series 24; the General Securities Representative Examination, or Series 7; the Securities Industry Essentials Examination, or SIE; the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, or Series 63; and the Uniform Combined State Law Examination, or Series 66. He is licensed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. (Information current as of July 30, 2023.)

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