CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – An auto dealer who owned a business in Clarksville was charged Thursday in a federal court with bank fraud, stemming from a scheme in which he falsified loan information and defrauded several credit unions.
Andrew Oliver, 31, of Cadiz, Kentucky, the owner of First Choice Auto Sales in Clarksville and AJ’s Auto Sales in Hopkinsville, was charged in a scheme that involved obtaining loans from several financial institutions on the purchase of the same vehicles, according to charges announced by U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The charges allege that Oliver inflated his income on loan application documents and omitted the fact that he had already obtained loans from other financial institutions regarding the same vehicle, according to a news release from David Boling, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Specifically, the information alleges that Oliver obtained loans totaling $215,000 from three separate credit unions for the purchase of the same Cadillac, the release said.
He also obtained loans totaling $340,000 from six different credit unions for the purchase of a Ford F-450, and in total, the fraudulent loans caused a total loss to the credit unions of $368,585.52, the news release continued.
When reached by Clarksville Now, Oliver said he had no comment on the charges.
If convicted, Oliver faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The United States also seeks to forfeit any property derived from the proceeds of the crime, including a money judgement in the amount of $368,585.52.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn W. Booth.