Investment Adviser Charged With Stealing Millions From Private Fund

The Securities and Exchange Commission today revoked the registration of a Seattle area-based registered investment adviser and barred its principal from the securities industry for stealing money from a private fund the adviser managed. The remaining assets will be liquidated and placed in a fund for distribution to harmed investors. According to the SEC’s order, Dennis Gibb, the owner of Sweetwater Investments Inc., stole more than $3 million from Sweetwater Income Flood LP, a private fund Sweetwater managed, to pay for personal expenses, including his mortgage and car payments, and to keep Sweetwater’s business afloat. To hide his theft and convince investors to put even more money into the fund, he sent fraudulent account statements and tax documents to investors.