A federal grand jury has indicted an Atlanta-area financial adviser who dropped out of sight more than two years ago, charging him with bilking investors out of at least $10 million, officials announced Wednesday.
Christopher Burns, 40, of Berkeley Lake has been charged with 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and four counts of money laundering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Burns remains on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted List.
“Burns obtained — then violated — the trust of his clients to fund his lavish lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan in a statement. “He betrayed investors and stole their savings with promises of safe investments that would yield high rates of return. Individuals who brazenly cheat their clients should expect to be held accountable.”
Burns seemingly disappeared Sept. 24, 2020, one day before he was scheduled to relinquish documents related to his businesses to the Securities and Exchange Commission in a civil matter. His wife told Gwinnett County police at the time that she had not been told the nature of the investigation and had no idea where he had gone.
The vehicle he had been driving was found abandoned in Dunwoody.
The next month, he was charged with one count of mail fraud.
Burns hosted a radio show and appeared regularly on television news programs as an expert on investment.
He conducted business through several entities, including Investus Advisers, Investus Financial, Dynamic Money, and Peer Connect, according to the Justice Department.
He assured investors that they bore little risk, that their money would be loaned to businesses that needed financing. In some cases, Burns described the investments as secured by the protection of collateral and personal guarantees — claims that were false, according to officials.
Sometimes he told clients that he would pool their money with that of other investors and lend it to startup companies and to charities.
However, he used investors’ money to fund his lifestyle and repay prior investors — a practice akin to a Ponzi scheme, officials said.
That sort of fraud has a distinct impact on those deceived, said James Dorsey, special agent in charge for the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta.
“Ponzi schemes, such as the one Burns carried out, inflict emotional and financial damage on its victims,” Dorsey said.
Burns defrauded dozens of victims, officials said.
The search for Burns continues, said Keri Farley, special agent in charge for the FBI in Atlanta. “The FBI is still seeking the public’s help in locating Burns and will continue to pursue him.”
The search for Christopher Burns
Officials said that anyone with information about Burns’ location should contact the office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Atlanta at 770-216-3000 or go to its online site for tips: tips.fbi.gov.
About the Author
