FORT WAYNE – A 41-year-old former financial adviser at a local company is facing a three-count federal indictment accusing him of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.

According to federal court documents unsealed Thursday, Gregory B. Walker was indicted in January by a U.S. District Court grand jury in Fort Wayne.

The indictment alleges that Walker, who worked in Fort Wayne, created fraudulent distribution forms to have money transferred from client accounts to a bank account belonging to an associate of Walker’s.

The company where Walker worked kept clients’ money at a bank in St. Petersburg, Fla. Clients could request money from their accounts using distribution request forms, which required the client’s name, birth date and Social Security number.

On Feb. 11, 2011, Walker created such a form with the authorization of the client and had the money transferred by wire to a Fort Wayne bank, according to court documents.

He allegedly did it again on Feb. 28 and tried again on March 1 or March 2, using a different client’s information.

He is accused of wire fraud in the transfer of money and the attempted transfer.

The aggravated identity theft count alleges Walker used the identity of another person to commit a felony, according to court documents.

While the indictment was handed down in late January, it remained sealed until Thursday.

Walker appeared Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court for an initial appearance and remains out of custody, without bail but under court supervision.

According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website, Walker was registered as an investment adviser with a Fort Wayne office of Raymond James & Associates until last spring.

Walker was suspended by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in June after he failed to respond to a request for information, according to a report from that agency.

In October, the regulatory authority permanently barred him from such work in any capacity at financial entities under the agency’s domain, according to the report.

In December 2009, Walker was charged with a misdemeanor charge of check deception in DeKalb County, but that charge was dismissed, according to the report.

Then, in March, Raymond James & Associates fired Walker for the misappropriation of client funds, according to the report.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the investigation into Walker’s activities was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service and a Fort Wayne police officer assigned to the Federal Identity Theft Task Force.

rgreen@jg.net