Fresno放贷公司高管被控近6500万美元诈骗：侵吞5800万美元再融资款、盗用客户身份借款
位于加利福尼亚州 Fresno County 的 Fresno 市11月2日披露一宗农业金融大案：58岁的 Ron Cook 被联邦大陪审团起诉，罪名包括向联邦政府作虚假陈述、电汇诈骗、加重身份盗窃与洗钱，指控他通过自己掌管的放贷公司 Corporate America Lending（CAL）运作一桩近6,500万美元的诈骗。联邦检察官 Eric Grant 当天宣布起诉，Cook 当天上午在自己的办公室被捕，定于当天下午首次出庭。
据法庭文件，CAL 是一家总部在 Fresno 的放贷公司，为农场主、牧场主等农业从业者发放贷款，发放后把贷款权益出售给投资者、金融公司以及联邦农业抵押公司（Farmer MAC）。Farmer MAC 是一家有联邦政府背景的公司，职责是为农业行业提供更可负担的融资渠道。
起诉书指，2023年起，Cook 发放并出售给一家金融公司的一笔5,800万美元贷款，其借款人转而向另一家金融公司再融资。第一家金融公司对此并不知情。Cook 被指向借款人、第一家与第二家金融公司作出多项虚假陈述，使5,800万美元再融资款落入自己手中而不被第一家金融公司察觉。第一家金融公司发现再融资后，Cook 把钱转给朋友与关联人以隐藏去向，这些转移构成洗钱指控的基础。
同一时期，Cook 被指还诈骗其他客户与投资者：盗用客户身份，在客户不知情的情况下以客户名义向 Farmer MAC 借款；并向投资者出售实际并不存在的贷款权益。盗用客户身份向 Farmer MAC 借款的行为，构成向联邦政府作虚假陈述的指控。
检方表示，Cook 通过这套诈骗共取得至少6,400万美元，用于个人挥霍、偿还欠部分客户与投资者的债务，其中一些客户与投资者此前已察觉诈骗并威胁提出刑事指控；他还把部分钱款用于政治捐款。
案件由联邦调查局（FBI）查办，助理检察官 Arelis Clemente 与 Joseph Barton 起诉。如罪名成立，向联邦政府作虚假陈述罪最高30年监禁与25万美元罚款；电汇诈骗与洗钱每项最高20年监禁与最高25万美元罚款；加重身份盗窃每项强制2年监禁，且须与其他罪名的刑期连续执行。起诉书中的指控仅为指控，被告在被证明有罪之前推定无罪。
司法部今年4月7日宣布成立国家欺诈执法部门，专门调查与起诉侵害美国民众的欺诈案件，本案即属该执法方向下的案件。
（来源：美国司法部）
Fresno Lending Executive Indicted in Nearly $65 Million Fraud: $58 Million Refinance Kept, Customer Identities Stolen for Loans
Fresno, in Fresno County, California, saw a major agricultural finance case disclosed on November 2: Ron Cook, 58, of Fresno, has been indicted on charges of making false statements to the federal government, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering for allegedly running a nearly $65 million fraud scheme through his company, Corporate America Lending (CAL), U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. Cook was arrested at his office that morning and was set to make his initial court appearance that afternoon.
According to court records, CAL is a lending company based in Fresno that originates loans for farmers, ranchers, and others who work in the agriculture industry. Once CAL originates the loans, it sells the interest in them to others, including investors, financial companies, and the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Company (Farmer MAC). Farmer MAC is a company backed by the federal government that provides increased access to affordable financing for the agriculture industry.
Beginning in 2023, the borrowers of a $58 million loan that Cook had originated and sold to one financial company refinanced the loan with another financial company, without the first financial company knowing about the refinancing. Cook then allegedly made several misrepresentations to the borrowers, the first financial company, and the second financial company so that he would receive the $58 million refinance amount without the first financial company becoming aware and could keep the money for himself. When the first financial company found out about the refinancing, Cook allegedly transferred the money to his friends and associates to conceal its location; it was those transfers that resulted in the money laundering charges.
During the same period, Cook allegedly defrauded his other customers and investors. He allegedly defrauded customers by stealing their identities and taking out loans in their names from Farmer MAC without their knowledge, and defrauded investors by selling them interests in loans that did not actually exist. Stealing customers' identities to get loans from Farmer MAC resulted in the false statements to the federal government charge.
Cook obtained at least $64 million through the fraud scheme, prosecutors said. He used the money to pay for his lifestyle and to pay debts that he owed to some of his customers and investors who had detected the fraud and threatened to file criminal charges against him. He also used the money to make political donations.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arelis Clemente and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case. If convicted, Cook faces 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the false statements charge, 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each of the wire fraud and money laundering charges, and a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for each of the aggravated identity theft charges. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people; this case falls within that enforcement effort.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
来源：美国司法部
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于加利福尼亚州 Fresno 的美国联邦法院大楼。Thank You (24 Millions) views 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The U.S. Courthouse in Fresno, California. Photo by Thank You (24 Millions) views, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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