Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau Defrauded Nearly 40 Victims of $3,019,972
GRAND RAPIDS – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau, both age 39 and residents of Lake, Michigan, were sentenced to federal prison for their roles in defrauding nearly 40 victims of more than $3 million dollars in a long-running fraud and identity theft scheme. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney sentenced Hite to serve 150 months in prison and Bureau to serve to 51 months in prison. Both defendants were ordered to pay $1,952,186 in restitution to their victims.
“Protecting victims from financial crimes is part of keeping our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Hite and Bureau deceived unsuspecting victims out of millions of dollars for their personal gain. Criminals do not always wear masks and carry a gun; sometimes they carry out their deeds with a pen and paper and a dash of charm. We are determined to hold fraudsters accountable whoever they are.”
Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau, a married couple, pleaded guilty to conspiring with each other to commit wire fraud and unlawfully using the identities of others to fraudulently obtain financing for their former west Michigan businesses. Those businesses operated under several names, including Hites RV, Alpine Trailer Sales, Great Lakes Recreational, Great Lakes Trailer, GLR Transport, and Great Lakes Trailer Manufacturing.
Between 2016 and 2020, the defendants assumed the identities of credit-worthy individuals to fraudulently obtain $5,443,982 in loans to support their fledgling business venture. The defendants made materially false statements on loan/equipment financing documents, unlawfully used other people’s identities to obtain financing they could not get on their own, impersonated those victims on phone calls with other victims, and used multiple limited liability companies to facilitate and conceal their fraudulent conduct. The fraud scheme collapsed when the defendants ran out of money and lenders began seeking repayment from the identity theft victims.
The sentencing of Gregory Hite and Bridget Bureau highlights the FBI’s steadfast commitment to safeguarding vulnerable victims and financial institutions from those who exploit and defraud the system,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “The FBI in Michigan will remain relentless in its efforts to protect our communities and ensure accountability for those who engage in fraudulent schemes.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.
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