A Charlotte man has been sentenced for his role in a nearly 10-year-long banking scheme that defrauded more than $17 million from 17 banks. He had at least eight partners, prosecutors say.
Bruce Howard Marko, 66, was directly involved in securing $2.8 million in five fraudulent loans, according to a news release from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. He was sentenced Wednesday to a year and a day in prison at Charlotte’s federal court. He must pay $1.5 million back.
Marko’s partners include a Waxhaw man and people from Georgia, Florida and California. Since at least 2016, they used false information to get loans from a slew of federally insured banks , which ensure depositors’ money will be repaid to them even if the bank fails. They included Fifth Third Bank, Truist Bank and PNC Bank, according to court documents…