Merriah Harkins Subject of an SEC Investigation into Her Involvement with GWG L Bonds

Merriah Harkins (CRD #: 2512241), a previously registered broker with Beneficent Securities, is the subject of an SEC investigation. This is according to a disclosure that appears on her BrokerCheck record, accessed on September 5, 2023. Details regarding the allegations and her involvement with GWG L bonds are provided below. 

On June 30, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a Wells Notice to Merriah Harkins. A Wells Notice notifies a financial professional that a regulator intends to bring an enforcement action against them. The SEC alleges that Merriah Harkins violated the Exchange Act in connection with her sales of GWG L Bonds from February 2020 to April 2021. During this period, she served as Executive Vice President of Retail Markets at GWG Holdings. 

GWG Holdings has filed for bankruptcy and investors have lost money on high-risk L bonds. 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 bans manipulative, deceptive, and otherwise fraudulent activities relating to the securities business. Rule 10b-5 specifically prohibits false statements and omissions of fact that mislead investors.

Background Information 

Merriah Harkins has passed the following exams: 

• Series 63 Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination 
• SIE – Securities Industry Essentials Examination 
• Series 7 General Securities Representative Examination 
• Series 6 Investment Company Products / Variable Contracts Representative Examination 
• Series 24 General Securities Principal Examination 
• Series 10 General Securities Sales Supervisor – General Module Examination 
• Series 9 General Securities Sales Supervisor – Options Module Examination 
• Series 26 Investment Company Products/ Variable Contracts Principal Examination 

She has registered with the following firms: 

• Beneficent Securities Company (CRD #: 119441) 
• Emerson Equity (CRD #: 130032) 
• Select Capital Corporation (CRD #: 145997) 
• DBSI Securities Corporation (CRD #: 11687)
• ATEL Securities Corporation (CRD #: 17229) 
• Charles Schwab & Co. (CRD #: 5393) 
• Aetna Investment Services (CRD #: 34815) 
• Vanguard Marketing Corporation (CRD #: 7452) 
• MML Investors Services (CRD #: 10409) 

Kurta Law Can Help

If you worked with Merriah Harkins and have concerns about your investments, please contact us today at 877-600-0098 or info@kurtalawfirm.com for a free consultation.

For over 20 years, Kurta Law has advocated on behalf of investors who want to recover their investment losses from brokers and brokerage firms. Kurta Law is a nationally recognized law firm that exclusively represents investors against brokers and brokerage firms on a contingency basis. This means that the firm only earns a fee if our securities attorneys recover money on your behalf.