FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
AUGUST 9, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LEASE COMPANY OPERATOR SENTENCED FOR BANK FRAUD
Obtained Over $200,000 in Fraudulent Loans and Insurance Payments
BALTIMORE, Maryland - U.S. District Judge William D. Quarles sentenced Jeffrey B. Hazard, age 55, of Phoenix, Maryland today to 30 months in prison followed by _ years of supervised release for bank fraud in connection with a scheme to obtain loans from banks under false pretenses, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to the plea agreement, Hazard owned and operated a car leasing company named Key Leasing and Rental, L.L.C. (Key Leasing). Hazard maintained revolving lines of credit with financial institutions whereby the financial institutions would provide financing for the purchase of automobiles by Key Leasing, which Key Leasing would then lease to individuals. From 1998 through 2002, Hazard requested financing of a single vehicle from more than one financial institution, falsely representing to each institution that they were the only lender for the purchase of the vehicle. Hazard also requested financing of a vehicle that Key Leasing had not purchased. Finally, Hazard failed to forward any insurance payment to the lender who had financed the vehicle when the vehicle was damaged or destroyed. Instead, Hazard kept the money, allowing the lender to believe that it retained a valid security interest in the undamaged vehicle. As a result of this scheme, Hazard obtained over $200,000 in fraudulent loans and insurance payments.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamera L. Fine, who prosecuted the case.