Tampa Man Indicted for Bank Loan Fraud

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced last week that Michael Anthony Prozer, III of Tampa and Fedor Stanley Salinas of Maryland were indicted on six counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Prozer and Salinas face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count if convicted.

According to the indictment, Prozer, formerly CEO of a company called Xchangeagent Inc., recruited Salinas, a loan officer at Wachovia Bank in Langley Park, Maryland, help him in a scheme to defraud Park Avenue Bank in Valdosta, Georgia. Prozer sought a short-term business loan from Park Avenue Bank. Authorities allege that the loan was fraudulently secured by collateral that did not exist.

Prosecutors claim that, between April 2008 and February 2009, Prozer and Salinas produced fake bank statements purporting to show that Prozer had $21,361,676.82 on deposit at Wachovia Bank. Prozer represented that the funds were on deposit but were subject to a 90-day hold, necessitating a short-term bridge loan. In addition to the falsified documents, authorities allege that Prozer and Salinas also set up in-person meetings and conference calls between Park Avenue Bank and fake Wachovia employees who verified the collateralized funds on deposit.

The loan was never repaid and resulted in a $2,999,995.00 loss to Park Avenue Bank in Valdosta, Georgia. Salinas allegedly received $25,000 for his part.

Prozer last reached the radar of local media back in 2009 when he appeared on Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker reality television show. He claimed to be worth $400 million at the time.