Federal Criminal Defense Blog : Georgia Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer & Attorney : Gillen Withers & Lake Law Firm : White Collar Crime, RICO, Trial : Atlanta, Savannah, GA

As reflected in an FBI press release, an indictment was unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Robert Egan, President of Mount Vernon Money Center (MVMC) on Wednesday charging Egan with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and six counts of bank fraud for allegedly defrauding banks and other financial institutions of approximately $50 million.

MVMC operated various cash management businesses, including replenishing cash for over 5,300 automated teller machines (ATMs), payroll services for businesses, and an armored car service, Armored Money Services (AMS). MVMC's clients included banks and financial institutions, businesses and universities. MVMC also had several cash vaults to store and process cash from its businesses.

The government alleges that, from 2005 through 2010, Egan and MVMC's Chief Operating Officer, Barnard McGarry, allegedly collected hundreds of millions of dollars from MVMC clients based on false representations that they would not commingle clients' funds or use the funds for purposes other than those specified in MVMC's agreements with the clients. However, Egan and McGarry are alleged to have engaged in a practice known as "playing the float," in which they misappropriated funds from the substantial cash flow into MVMC to their own uses, to pay prior client obligations or to cover operating expenses of MVMC's businesses. Egan and McGarry are also alleged to have commingled its clients' monies in its accounts and cash vaults, and instructed employees to use whatever monies were available to replenish ATM machines. McGarry is alleged to have transferred clients' monies among MVMC's accounts. In addition, both defendants are alleged to have made false representations in reports to ATM clients regarding the amount of funds MVMC allegedly held in its vaults for the clients. MVMC was entrusted with approximately $70 to $75 million by its clients, but allegedly only kept approximately $20 to $25 million in its accounts and vaults.

Egan was arrested last month. A receiver has been appointed to administer MVMC. The press release stated that the case was brought in coordination with the White House's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. Among the officials who addressed the media in conjunction with the press release was the Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) Neil Barofsky.

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Well, first of all, even if you like the Colts and Peyton Manning (I do), you still have to be happy for the Saints and the City of New Orleans. What a great American story.

Back to business though, the Troubled Asset Relief Program Inspector General (TARP IG), Neil Barofsky, announced in his January 20, 2010 report that TARP has continued to develop into a sophisticated white-collar investigative agency. Through December 31, 2009, TARP has opened 86 and has 77 ongoing criminal and civil investigations. These investigations include complex issues concerning suspected TARP fraud, accounting fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, bank fraud, mortgage fraud, mortgage servicer misconduct, fraudulent advance-fee schemes, public corruption, false statements, obstruction of justice, money laundering, and tax-related investigations.

The Inspector General (IG) highlighted three current investigations. First, the IG remarked that Omni National Bank (“Omni”) a national bank headquartered in Atlanta with branch offices in Birmingham, Tampa, Chicago, Fayetteville, N.C., Houston, Dallas, and Philadelphia continued to be under scrutiny. Omni failed and was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) on March 27, 2009. Prior to its failure, Omni had applied for but had not been approved for TARP funds. TARP has participated in several investigations concerning Omni that have led to criminal charges as part of a mortgage fraud task force that includes TARP, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the Office of the Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC OIG”), the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD OIG”), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

TARP, the IG noted continues to play a significant role in the investigations by the Office of the New York Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of New York and Western District of North Carolina, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and the FBI into the circumstances of Bank of America’s merger with Merrill Lynch and its receipt of additional TARP funds.

And, finally, as previously reported, in August 2009, TARP, along with the FBI, FDIC OIG, and HUD OIG, conducted search warrants at the offices of Colonial Bancorp and Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (“TBW”). On December 16, 2009, TBW consented to its debarment from participating as an originator of Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”)-insured mortgages. HUD also terminated TBW as a Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”) issuer of mortgage-backed securities and took control of TBW’s $25 billion Ginnie Mae portfolio. In conjunction with the suspensions, HUD also proposed debarments of two officers of TBW. On August 7, 2009, Colonial reported that it is the target of a criminal probe. The investigation, the IG noted is ongoing.

The federal government’s enormous investment of monies into the TARP program and the establishment of the TARP IG, means a continued focus on financial crimes in the future.
 

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