Bank Officers Charged With Concealing Nonperforming Assets

Fraud Directors & Officers

On July 11, four former bank officers and two of their former customers were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on eighteen counts of fraud. Indictment, United States v. Woodard, No. 12-105 (E.D. Va.). The indictment alleges that in the run-up to the financial crisis, the bank more than doubled its assets primarily through brokered deposits, while the directors administered a lending program that violated industry standards and the bank’s internal controls. In connection with the financial crisis, the indictment states, the bank’s loan portfolio deteriorated and the directors conspired to conceal the institution’s financial condition. Ultimately, the bank failed, leaving the federal government insurance fund to cover approximately $260 million in deposits, the indictment claims. In addition to the criminal charges, the U.S. Attorney is seeking forfeiture of the defendants’ assets. Other bank officers, employees, and customers already have pled guilty to related charges.