Atlanta-area financial adviser Christopher W. Burns has gone from suburban no-show to one of the FBI’s new Most Wanted Fraudsters. Burns, who disappeared in 2020, is accused of running an investment scheme that prosecutors say siphoned at least $10 million from dozens of investors. He vanished from his Berkeley Lake home on September 24, 2020, and his vehicle later turned up abandoned in nearby Dunwoody. The FBI is now offering up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Federal charges and indictment
A federal grand jury indicted Burns on April 11, 2023, on 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud and four counts of money laundering, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. In that release, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said Burns “obtained then violated the trust of his clients to fund his lavish lifestyle,” characterizing the alleged scheme as a betrayal of the people who relied on him for financial guidance.
What regulators say the scheme looked like
Federal regulators describe a very different picture from the one investors thought they were buying into. In a civil complaint filed November 12, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Burns sold more than $10 million in promissory notes to investors in Georgia, North Carolina and Florida through entities that included Investus Advisers, Investus Financial and Peer Connect, as detailed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The SEC complaint says the collateral and Schwab accounts that were supposed to back those notes either did not exist or were worth far less than Burns represented. According to the filing, instead of being used as promised, investor funds were diverted to personal spending that included a lake house, vehicles and radio airtime.
Local coverage and timeline
Local reporting on Burns’ addition to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list was carried by CBS News Atlanta, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has previously documented his indictment, disappearance and the abandoned car found in Dunwoody. Authorities say Burns left his Berkeley Lake home the day before he was scheduled to turn over business records to the SEC and has not been seen since.
What to do if you have information
Anyone who has information about Burns’ whereabouts, or who believes they may have been a victim, is urged to contact the FBI Atlanta Field Office at (770) 216-3000, call the FBI national tipline at 1-800-225-5324, or submit a tip online, according to the FBI wanted poster. The poster notes a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasizes that an indictment is only an allegation and that Burns is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The SEC’s civil action, filed separately, seeks disgorgement and other relief intended to compensate harmed investors.
