EcoVest Capital, Inc.
Unclaimed32/100 · Serious concerns
Public-record listing · GA (Alpharetta) - per court filings
Unclaimed listing. This firm has not registered or claimed this page. Everything here comes from public records and the firm’s own public website, as of 2026-10-15.
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What they do
RED-FLAG CONTROL CASE. Former syndicated conservation easement promoter. U.S. v. EcoVest Capital Inc., No. 1:18-cv-05774 (N.D. Ga.): final judgment and permanent consent injunction (Mar. 20, 2023) barring EcoVest and three principals from promoting Sec. 170(h) easement arrangements; entered without admission of the allegations. Syndicated easements are a listed transaction. Warning-only listing; no sponsorship ever.
Public-record summary. Category: Syndicated conservation easements (S05 - WARNING ONLY). Fees: Not public.
Strategies offered
- Syndicated Conservation Easements Public record source
Evidence score
32/100 · Serious concerns30 of 94 applicable points = 32. Rubric v1.1 (2026-10-17). Retrieved 2026-10-15.
43 points are pending because the item could not be checked from public records. If every pending item were verified, the score could reach up to 39 (limited by caps or by items that don't apply). How this is calculated.
| Category | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory record (weight 25) | 18 / 25 | |
| Tax-controversy record (weight 20) | 0 / 20 | |
| Litigation & complaints (weight 15) | 10 / 15 | |
| Transparency (weight 15) | 2 / 15 | |
| Substance & verifiability (weight 15) | 0 / 11 | |
| Structure quality (weight 10) | 0 / 8 |
Red flags
A flag stays Open, and its cap applies, until it is addressed with new public evidence or with materials the firm submits and a reviewer accepts. Addressed flags no longer limit the score.
Evidence by item
Each line shows the points awarded, how it was checked and a source link where one exists.
Regulatory record · 18 / 25
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 Registration status verified for firm and soliciting individuals where required (BD/IA/state; insurance producer if relevant) | 0 / 5 | UNVERIFIED | No BrokerCheck/IAPD record for EcoVest; how easement-partnership interests were placed not determined. source |
| R2 No SEC/FINRA disciplinary events for the firm (10-yr lookback) | 8 / 8 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No SEC/FINRA actions found (the federal case is a DOJ tax injunction, scored under T2). source |
| R3 No disciplinary events for principals/control persons (10-yr lookback) | 6 / 6 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No SEC/FINRA/state orders found for named principals; DOJ injunction scored under T2/RF7. source |
| R4 No state securities-regulator or state AG actions against firm/principals | 4 / 4 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No state order found by web search. Not exhaustive. |
| R5 Named licensed professionals (CPA/attorney/EA) in good standing | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | Licensed-professional good standing needs state CPA board / bar lookups for named individuals; not performed in this initial review. |
Tax-controversy record · 0 / 20
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 Strategy is not a listed transaction / transaction of interest and not a current Dirty Dozen theme | 0 / 8 | VERIFIED | Syndicated conservation easements are a listed transaction (Notice 2017-10; T.D. 10007, Oct. 8, 2024) and 2026 Dirty Dozen #9. source |
| T2 No DOJ Tax Division injunctions / IRC §§6700, 6701 promoter cases against firm or principals | 0 / 6 | VERIFIED | Final Judgment and Permanent Consent Injunction (Mar. 20, 2023) under IRC 7402/7408 against EcoVest, Solon, McCullough, Teal (no admission). source |
| T3 No adverse Tax Court / appellate opinions involving the sponsor's prior deals | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | Tax Court cases on EcoVest deals would be captioned under partnership names; not searched by partnership name. |
| T4 Provides clear reportable-transaction disclosure guidance (Form 8886/8918) where applicable | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | No evidence of Form 8886/8918 disclosure guidance located (required for a listed transaction). |
Litigation & complaints · 10 / 15
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 No material civil fraud/misrepresentation litigation (firm, principals, affiliates) | 3 / 6 | VERIFIED | DOJ civil action alleging false statements about tax benefits, resolved by consent judgment (2023). Investor suits not separately searched. source |
| L2 Complaint pattern reasonable (BBB, state AG, CFPB where relevant) | 4 / 4 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No BBB profile/complaint pattern found. source |
| L3 No bankruptcy/insolvency pattern among principals or affiliates | 3 / 3 | VERIFIED (nothing found) | No EcoVest bankruptcy found. source |
| L4 Entities in good standing with Secretary of State; legal entity names match marketing | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | Secretary of State good-standing not checked: state portals checked use CAPTCHA (e.g., SC businessfilings.sc.gov); not bypassed. Needs a manual lookup or paid registry pull. |
Transparency · 2 / 15
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| X1 Fees and total costs published or provided in writing before commitment | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | Fees not public. |
| X2 Offering documents available before commitment; Form D on EDGAR where applicable | 2 / 4 | PARTIAL | Form D filings for easement holding entities on EDGAR (e.g., Hickory Preserve Holdings, Magnolia Bay Resort Holdings); PPMs not public. source |
| X3 Names tax counsel / opinion issuer and allows direct verification | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | Not reviewed. |
| X4 Discloses audit/examination and claim history of prior deals | 0 / 3 | UNVERIFIED | Audit/examination and claim history of prior deals is not in public records; would need firm disclosure. |
Substance & verifiability · 0 / 11
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| V1 Underlying assets independently verifiable (e.g., interconnection agreements, utility records, deeds, dated site evidence) | 0 / 6 | UNVERIFIED | Not reviewed. |
| V2 Placed-in-service / completion evidence for prior projects | n/a | Not applicable | Easements have no placed-in-service milestone. |
| V3 Appraisals by independent credentialed appraisers (not promoter-selected) | 0 / 3 | UNVERIFIED | Appraisal inflation was alleged by DOJ; consent judgment without admission. Not independently assessed. |
| V4 Pre-tax economic substance: investment case exists apart from tax benefits | 0 / 2 | VERIFIED | Benefit of a syndicated easement is the charitable deduction itself (structure). source |
Structure quality · 0 / 8
| Item | Points | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 Independent legal opinion (not solely promoter-paid boilerplate) | 0 / 4 | UNVERIFIED | Not reviewed. |
| Q2 Tax insurance verified directly with named carrier/broker (policy exists, scope understood) | n/a | Not applicable | No insurance claim reviewed. |
| Q3 Fees reasonable relative to comparable offerings | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | Needs a written fee comparison set of >=3 comparable offerings; not built in this initial review. |
| Q4 No guaranteed outcomes, benefit multiples or 'audit-proof' claims | 0 / 2 | UNVERIFIED | Historical marketing not reviewed. |
Questions to ask this firm
- Should enjoined promoters appear at all, or only in the scam hub? (Decision.)
About these scores. Scores reflect only publicly available evidence found as of the retrieval date shown, scored with the same rubric for every firm. They are not an endorsement, rating of quality, accusation or statement about any person. Items we could not check from public records earn no points and are marked Unverified; a firm can supply proof to update them. How we score · Request a correction
Complaints
0 complaints under review · 0 substantiated · 0 with a response from the firm.
Complaints are an allegation until a reviewer decides. We show only the category and status, never the complainant’s identity, the description or any documents. Private complaints are counted but not itemized. The firm can respond by claiming this listing.
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Verification and listing notice
"Verified" means our staff checked the identity, business-registration, and credential details listed against the sources named, on the date shown. It is not an endorsement, rating, or recommendation. Firm- and advisor-reported information is their own statement. Listings are alphabetical; payment never affects order, scores, or warnings.