William Johnson: $209K REIT Complaint Against Ex-Voya Advisor

Cadaret Grant & Co. financial advisor William Johnson (CRD# 3174473) has received numerous investor complaints alleging he recommended unsuitable investments, resulting in losses. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records show that he is a broker and investment advisor based in Greenville, South Carolina, where he was formerly registered with Voya Financial Advisors. 

Mr. Johnson’s BrokerCheck report discloses five pending investor complaints. The most recent, filed in 2021, alleges that as a representative of Voya Financial, he “misrepresented an illiquid alternative investment as a low risk, safe and suitable investment.” The pending complaint alleges damages of $100,001.

A second investor complaint, filed in 2021, alleges that as a Voya Financial representative, he provided misleading statements regarding and unsuitable recommendations to invest in “speculative” non-traded real estate investment trusts and other alternative investments. The pending complaint alleges damages of $209,000.

A third investor complaint filed in 2021 alleges that Mr. Johnson recommended “unsuitable, high-risk and illiquid alternative investments” which he misrepresented as safe and low-risk. The pending complaint alleges damages of $90,000.

A fourth 2021 complaint alleges the misrepresentation of a real estate investment as “low risk, safe and suitable.” The pending complaint alleges damages of $283,700.

A fifth complaint, also filed in 2021, alleged the recommendation of “an unsuitable strategy to invest in various high risk alternative investments between 2013 – 2017.” The pending complaint alleges damages of $250,000.

Mr. Johnson’s BrokerCheck report also discloses three investor complaints that reached settlements. The most recent, filed in 2020, alleged he sold unsuitable and risky investments, reaching a settlement of $15,000. A complaint filed in 2010 alleged that as a representative of ING Financial Partners, he recommended an unsuitable mutual fund switch, reaching a settlement of $1,100.05. And a 2011 complaint alleged the sale of an unsuitable variable annuity, negligence, misrepresentation, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty, reaching a settlement of $350,000.

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, William Johnson holds 23 years of securities industry experience. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, he has been a broker and investment advisor with Cadaret Grant & Company since 2019. He was formerly a broker and investment advisor with Voya Financial Advisors in Greenville from 1999 until 2019. His credentials include the passage of three securities industry qualifying examinations: the General Securities Representative Examination, or Series 7; the Uniform Combined State Law Examination, or Series 66; and Securities Industry Essentials Examination, or SIE. He is licensed in Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Wyoming. (Information current as of June 16, 2022.)

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