San Antonio Exporter Charged With Defrauding Ex-Im Bank

Andrew Parker of San Antonio, who owns an equipment exporting company called San Antonio Trade Group, Inc., was indicted this week by a federal grand jury in San Antonio in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank of the US. The 28-count indictment includes one count of conspiracy, nine counts of wire fraud, two counts of use of a false document, 12 counts of money laundering, two counts of tax evasion, and two counts of filing a false income tax return.

The Ex-Im Bank helps US companies export products by guaranteeing loans made by private banks to foreign businesses who use the proceeds to buy the products. Parker is accused of causing multi-million dollar losses to the Ex-Im Bank by falsifying loan applications, submitting false reports that goods were bought with the loans, and diverting millions of the loan proceeds for his personal use. In some cases, associates in Mexico allegedly received the proceeds as direct cash payments; in other cases, the businesses allegedly did not exist. Investigators say Parker and his company are involved in more than $163 million in loans and allege that none have yet been found to be legitimate (San Antonio Express-News, DOJ).