Andrew Gentiluomo Complaints | Equity Services Broker
A Roanoke, Virginia financial advisor was reportedly discharged by his firm in late 2025 and now faces a pending customer complaint tied to a 2023 investment recommendation. According to his own regulatory disclosure record, Andrew Gentiluomo (CRD #4975462) was reportedly terminated by Equity Services, Inc. in November 2025 over his alleged involvement in client investments made outside the firm. Andrew Gentiluomo complaints now span three separate disclosure events on his BrokerCheck record, and investors who worked with him may want to speak with a FINRA arbitration attorney about their options before any filing deadline passes.
Who Is Andrew Gentiluomo?
Gentiluomo has roughly two decades of experience in the securities industry. Public registration records show he was associated with Equity Services, Inc. (CRD #265) and its affiliated investment adviser, ESI Financial Advisors, in Roanoke, Virginia from 2010 until his discharge in November 2025. He briefly moved to Vanderbilt Securities, LLC as a broker from November 2025 through April 2026. Records indicate he is no longer registered as a broker-dealer representative. He is currently registered only as an investment adviser representative with Fortezza Wealth Advisors, LLC in Fincastle, Virginia.
Andrew Gentiluomo Complaints and Lawsuit
Gentiluomo’s regulatory record reflects three separate disclosure events, all tied to investments made outside his brokerage firm:
- November 5, 2025, discharge: Equity Services, Inc. terminated Gentiluomo, citing his “involvement with individuals’ investments in limited liability companies which were not made through the Firm,” and his execution of a promissory note with a client to purchase her house.
- Pending customer complaint: A client alleges that in 2023 Gentiluomo recommended an investment in a private LLC without advising her that it could not be used to satisfy a Required Minimum Distribution from her IRA, allegedly causing tax consequences, illiquidity, and a loss when the underlying business failed. The complaint does not specify a dollar amount. Gentiluomo has responded on the record that he denies recommending the investment and considers the complaint without merit.
- 2024 Lawsuit, settled 2025: A separate client filed a complaint in May 2024 alleging Blue Sky violations, breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud, and civil conspiracy tied to investments in two LLCs, seeking $200,000. That matter proceeded to an actual civil lawsuit in Montgomery Circuit Court, Virginia (Docket #121CL24000741-00). According to the disclosure, the court dismissed the fraud claims, and the remaining Blue Sky claims were settled in August 2025 for $124,285.71, paid through Gentiluomo’s errors and omissions carrier with no admission of liability.
Taken together, these disclosures describe a recurring pattern involving client money allegedly moving into LLC investment structures outside the standard brokerage account, the kind of activity that FINRA’s outside business activity and private securities transaction rules are designed to prevent.
What Rules Govern This Kind of Conduct?
FINRA Rule 3270 requires registered representatives to provide written notice to their firm before engaging in any outside business activity. FINRA Rule 3280 separately requires written notice and firm approval before a broker participates in a private securities transaction, commonly called selling away. When a broker’s clients invest in LLCs or other vehicles that were never reviewed or approved by the brokerage firm, the firm loses the ability to supervise that activity, and investors lose the due-diligence protections that come with firm-vetted products.
What Investors Can Do
Brokerage firms can be held responsible for a broker’s conduct when supervisory failures allowed unauthorized or unsuitable recommendations to occur. Investors who invested with Andrew Gentiluomo in LLCs, private placements, or other alternative investments while he was registered with Equity Services or Vanderbilt Securities may have grounds to pursue a claim through FINRA arbitration against those firms.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I file a claim to recover losses connected to Andrew Gentiluomo?
One matter involving Gentiluomo did become an actual civil lawsuit: a May 2024 complaint alleging Blue Sky violations, breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud, and civil conspiracy over investments in two LLCs was filed in Montgomery Circuit Court, Virginia. The court reportedly dismissed the fraud claims, and the remaining Blue Sky claims settled in August 2025 for $124,285.71, paid through Gentiluomo’s errors and omissions carrier with no admission of liability. For most investors, though, recovering losses tied to a broker’s alleged misconduct doesn’t go through civil court at all. Most brokerage account agreements typically include a pre-dispute arbitration clause, meaning claims are generally filed and resolved through FINRA arbitration rather than in court — and arbitration can still result in a monetary recovery. If you invested with Andrew Gentiluomo while he was registered with Equity Services, Inc. or Vanderbilt Securities, LLC, our attorneys can review your account records and his BrokerCheck disclosures at no cost.
2. What is “selling away,” and why does it matter for investments made with Andrew Gentiluomo?
“Selling away” occurs when a broker recommends or facilitates a client’s investment in a product that was never reviewed or approved by his brokerage firm. FINRA Rule 3270 requires registered representatives to give written notice to their firm before engaging in outside business activity, and FINRA Rule 3280 separately requires written notice and firm approval before a broker participates in a private securities transaction. Gentiluomo was reportedly discharged by Equity Services, Inc. in November 2025 in connection with his alleged involvement in client investments in LLCs made outside the firm. When an investment happens away from a brokerage firm’s oversight, the firm loses the ability to supervise it, and investors lose the due-diligence review that firm-vetted products typically receive.
3. Can Equity Services or Vanderbilt Securities be held responsible for my losses, even if the firm didn’t know about or approve the LLC investments?
Potentially, yes. Brokerage firms have a duty to reasonably supervise their registered representatives, including monitoring for outside business activity and undisclosed private securities transactions. When a firm’s supervisory system fails to detect or prevent a broker’s alleged selling away activity, the firm itself — not just the individual broker — can be held liable in FINRA arbitration for the resulting investor losses. Whether Equity Services or Vanderbilt Securities met their supervisory obligations in Gentiluomo’s case depends on the specific facts of each investor’s account, which our attorneys evaluate during a free case review.
Contact The White Law Group
The White Law Group is a national securities fraud law firm with offices in Chicago and Seattle, representing investors nationwide in claims against brokers and brokerage firms. If you invested with Andrew Gentiluomo and suffered losses, contact our FINRA arbitration attorneys for a free consultation. Call us at (888) 637-5510 or visit our contact page to get started.
This summary is based solely on Andrew Gentiluomo’s publicly available FINRA BrokerCheck and SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) records, CRD #4975462. Allegations described above are unproven claims, and the settled 2024 matter was resolved with no admission of liability.
