EAST ST. LOUIS — A former bank president and a contractor has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in a scheme that involved falsifying loan applications to obtain funds between 2011 and 2020.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Francis Eversman, 74, of Collinsville, and Gregg Crawford, 65, of Columbia, admitted in federal court that they conspired to defraud Tempo Bank in Trenton by recruiting straw purchasers to act as nominal loan applicants on properties that were often highly overvalued. Eversman, a senior loan officer at the bank, facilitated the loan approvals, while Crawford, owner of construction companies in southern Illinois, used the loan proceeds for unauthorized purposes.
According to court documents, Crawford provided fake lease agreements to falsely indicate rental income from the properties. When an audit by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency uncovered the suspect loans, Crawford directed a straw purchaser to supply false information to investigators.
“The integrity of our banking system relies on the integrity of loan officers and applicants,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate their fiduciary duties and those who obtain loans through fraud are brought to justice.”
FBI Springfield Assistant Special Agent in Charge Karen Marinos emphasized the breach of public trust involved in the case. “Every American citizen deserves to walk into their bank and trust the people behind the counter,” she said. “The defendants in this case violated that trust through schemes aimed to self-serve and increase wealth.”
Both defendants waived their right to be indicted by a grand jury and pleaded guilty to an information charging conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The charge carries penalties of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and fines up to $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2025.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Springfield Field Office, the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Burke is prosecuting the case.
