Former Lone Star National Bank VP Sentenced to Prison for Bank Fraud

A former vice president and senior lending officer of Lone Star National Bank (LSNB) has been sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today. Emma Vigil, of McAllen, was sentenced this afternoon by United States District Judge Randy Crane to 51 months in federal prison, without parole, and ordered to pay a total of $589,494.74 in restitution to her victims. The FBI's investigation of Vigil revealed that her four-year bank fraud scheme, beginning in 2005, caused approximately $1,150,000 in financial loss to numerous victims. Vigil was an employee of LSNB for 14 years prior to her termination from the bank in 2008. Vigil, 47, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud on Dec. 15, 2009, admitting she used her position as vice president and senior lending officer to conduct hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent debit transactions from her loan customers' bank accounts. She also admitted to fraudulently inducing the approval of a commercial loan, the proceeds of which were used for her own benefit. Posted in: Internal Fraud