A San Antonio financial advisor is facing charges for her alleged role in obstructing justice, in connection with an FBI and IRS investigation into an investor fraud scheme. Brooklynn Chandler Willy, 45, was arrested this Tuesday on grounds of producing false documents and making misleading statements to thwart a federal grand jury's probe.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Willy's indictment accuses her of using her company Queen B Advisors LLC, also known as Texas Financial Advisory, to divert a client's half-a-million-dollar investment for her own use, including settling personal debts and business expenses. This financial maneuver was made more complex, and legally suspect, by a paper trail that Willy allegedly fabricated.
The official documents claim that when summoned by a federal grand jury, Willy supposedly provided a forged loan agreement that she insisted was signed by the victims. "Willy again produced this document to federal agents during an interview on Nov. 19, 2024, and made false statements about this document and other matters," the Department of Justice stated.
Charges laid against the financial advisor include one count each of obstruction of justice, false statements, and aggravated identity theft. While an indictment is not proof of guilt, these allegations are on record, and Willy is presumed innocent until potentially proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a legal trial. U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza was the one to make the announcement, while the investigation is being spearheaded by the FBI and IRS-CI, and attorneys Joe Blackwell and Kelly Stephenson lead the prosecution.
While the legal process needs to play out, this situation serves as a caution for investors to thoroughly vet any financial advisory service they choose to trust with their assets, especially given the potential ramifications when large sums of money, and trust, are involved.
