A California-based financial advisor will spend nine years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding at least 93 victims of more than $9.5 million, according to the Justice Department.
Edwin Emmett Lickiss, Jr. was indicted in July 2025 for a long-running scheme spanning from 1998 through September 2024. Earlier this year, Lickiss, who is based in Danville, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering.
According to court documents, Lickiss owned Foundation Financial Group and worked with clients throughout Northern California, Idaho and the broader United States. According to FINRA, he registered in 1977, with tenures at University Securities and Financial Network Investment Corp.
Most recently, he registered with Investment Architects from 1995 through 2014. That year, FINRA suspended his license for failing to disclose tax liens (he claimed he had…
Treat every unsolicited “urgent” communication from a bank or government agency as a potential “Vishing” or “Smishing” attack, regardless of how official the branding or phone number appears.