Tommy Eugene Blair and Tina Rogers Sentenced to Serve 46 Months in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud

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GREENEVILLE, TN—On June 12, 2012, TommyEugene Blair, 61, of Bluff City (formerly of Johnson City) and Tina Rogers, 44,of Bristol, were each sentenced to serve 46 months in prison for federal bankfraud, bank fraud conspiracy, and perjury. The two were convicted of thesecharges in U.S. District Court in Greeneville, in August 2011.
In addition to the prison sentences, theHonorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, ordered Blair and Rogersto pay restitution to TruPoint Bank and $300 each in special assessments. Upontheir release from prison, both will also serve three years on supervisedrelease.
Information at the sentencing hearingrevealed that in 2006, Blair and Rogers conspired with Sam Clark to defraudTruPoint Bank. Blair sold Clark car wash businesses located in Johnson City andClark obtained financing for the purchase from TruPoint Bank. Rogers acted asthe broker for the loan on behalf of Clark. Blair, Clark, and Rogers inflatedthe sales price from $3.4 million to $4.2 million, submitted fake earnest moneychecks totaling $465,000, submitted an altered Schedule C that grosslyoverstated the properties’ ability to service the debt, and falsely representedthat Blair provided seller financing of $210,000 via a false promissory note.Immediately after the loan closing, Blair paid Clark a kickback of $125,000,which was not disclosed to the lending bank. Clark defaulted on the loan withintwo months after it closed. TruPoint Bank incurred a loss for sentencingpurposes of $2.7 million and incurred an actual loss of $4.2 million.
During sentencing, Judge Greer notedthat both Blair and Rogers used sophisticated means to defraud the bank andthat both knowingly remained silent during the loan closing when the terms ofthe deal were reviewed by the closing attorney. He cited the numerous falsedocuments that they generated or signed and submitted to the bank in support ofthe loan. He also stated the need for a sentence to deter others fromfraudulent conduct on financial institutions, which are vital to the nation’seconomy.
The indictment and subsequent convictionof Blair and Rogers were the result of an investigation conducted by theFederal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Smithrepresented the United States during the litigation.