Local Restaurant Owner Indicted on Fraud Charges for Allegedly Submitting False Bank Statements when Seeking Online Loans

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Ill., man, Omar Hernandez-Lopez, 36, who was indicted last week for allegedly submitting false bank statements when seeking online loans, is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court on Jan. 5, 2021. Hernandez-Lopez owns El Tapatio De Jalisco Inc., a company doing business as La Fiesta Grande, a restaurant in Springfield.

The indictment alleges Hernandez-Lopez submitted bank statements that falsely represented the respective accounts’ balances when applying for online loans on three occasions in 2018 and 2019. The false bank statements represented accounts of his sister, business, and his brother.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris represents the government in the prosecution.

If convicted, the statutory penalty for each count of making false statements to mortgage lending businesses (seven counts) is up to 30 years in prison.  

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.