A Collinsville man was sentenced last week in federal court to three years of supervised release for his involvement in a series of fraudulent loans issued on behalf of his brother-in-law, Columbia developer Gregg Crawford.

The sentence for one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud against Fracis “Frank” Eversman, 75, was handed down in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis on Dec. 4.

The original charging document alleged Eversman facilitated a number of illegal “nominee loans” for about seven years beginning in 2013 while he was the senior loan officer of Tempo Bank in Trenton (which has since been acquired by Scott Credit Union).

Crawford, 65, was also charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud as the de facto recipient of the money from loans.

Both men agreed to negotiated plea agreements in June.

Details of the plea bargaining were not disclosed, but it was revealed prosecutors agreed to “recommend a sentence at the low end of the sentencing guideline range” in exchange for a plea guilty plea.

Court documents indicate Crawford recruited “straw borrowers” by promising improved credit paying cash in exchange for having their names listed as the loan applicants, with Eversman using his position at the bank to “steer” the loans through the approval process.

Shortly after the loans were approved and properties were purchased, control of both was then transferred to Crawford.

The use of funds acquired through the fraudulent loan process has not been divulged, although the prosecuting attorney in the case did say investigators suspect Crawford used at least part of the funds to finance other investments, according to a Belleville News-Democrat article.

Crawford owns several properties and businesses in Columbia – most notably the Main Street Abbey complex on South Main Street. 

Sentencing for both Crawford and Eversman was originally scheduled for Oct. 14 but was pushed back to Dec. 4 to allow prosecutors to complete an investigation report. While Eversman was sentenced Thursday, Crawford’s sentencing has once again been postponed, with a new hearing date set for Jan. 22.

Statutory penalties for the conspiracy charge include no more than 30 years’ imprisonment, a $1 million fine and five years of mandatory supervised release.