Southlake Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Federal Prison for Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy in Texas

Jason Dvorin, 45, of Southlake, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 24 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $111,639 in restitution, following his conviction at trial in February 2013 on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Judge O’Connor ordered that Dvorin surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 12, 2013. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

Dvorin entered into an agreement with Chris Derrington, the vice president of Pavillion Bank, located on West Campbell Road in Richardson, Texas, to deposit worthless checks in return for immediate access to the bank’s funds. Dvorin would bring in worthless credit card checks, or checks drawn on a closed account, and present them to Derrington for deposit. Knowing the checks were worthless, Derrington gave Dvorin immediate access to the bank’s funds. As soon as one worthless check was returned, Dvorin would deposit another worthless check. This pattern continued over the course of five years and resulted in 224 fraudulent deposits by Dvorin and the Derrington. By the time the scheme was uncovered, Pavillion bank sustained a loss in excess of $300,000.

Derrington, 61, of Dallas, was charged in a separate case with the same offense and pleaded guilty to that charge in May 2012. He was sentenced in March 2013 to a five-year term of probation and ordered to pay more than $778,000 in restitution.

Today’s announcement is related to efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and state and local partners, it is the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory, and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets; and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions, and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants including more than 2,900 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.

The cases were investigated by the FBI and the FDIC Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mindy Sauter and Michael Elliott prosecuted.