Loan Officer and De Pere Couple Indicted in Federal Court for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud

United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad, of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that the grand jury has today indicted Ronald Van Den Heuvel (age: 62) of De Pere, his spouse Kelly Van Den Heuvel (age: 52) of De Pere and Paul Piikkila (age: 53), of Appleton on a series of criminal charges based on a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans from Horicon Bank, a federally insured financial institution operating at various Wisconsin locations. The indictment alleges that these loans were obtained on the basis of false representations. 

In 2008 and 2009, Ronald Van Den Heuvel was a Green Bay businessman operating various business entities. Kelly Van Den Heuvel was his wife who also had her own corporation.  Paul Piikkila was a loan officer at Horicon Bank. 

The indictment alleges that Mr. Piikkila approved a series of loans totaling more than $1 million for the benefit of the Van Den Heuvels and their business entities.  Horicon Bank had instructed Mr. Piikkila not to loan any money to Mr. Van Den Heuvel so none of the loans discussed in the indictment are to him by name.  Many of the loans were made to straw borrowers who did not receive the money and were not expected to pay it back.  The loans were not used for the business purposes represented on the loan applications and the collateral offered by Mr. Van Den Heuvel was inadequate to secure the loans. 

Count One of the indictment charges all three defendants with conspiring to carry out this illegal scheme in violation of Title 18 United States Code § 371.  The maximum penalty for Count One is imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both, plus a mandatory $100 special assessment and a period of supervised release not to exceed three years.

Counts Two, Four, Six, Eight, Ten, Twelve and Thirteen each charge Ronald Van Den Heuvel with executions of a bank fraud scheme in violation of Title 18 United States Code § 1344.  Kelly Van Den Heuvel is charged only in Count Ten.  On each of these counts, a convicted defendant would face imprisonment for not more than 30 years, a fine of not more than $1 million, or both, plus the mandatory $100 special assessment and a term of supervised release not to exceed five years.

Counts Three, Five, Seven, Nine, and Eleven each charge Ronald Van Den Heuvel with making false statements to influence the action of a federal insured financial institution on a loan in violation of Title 18 United States Code  § 1014.  Kelly Van Den Heuvel is charged only in Count Eleven.  Anyone convicted on any of these counts, would face imprisonment for not more than 30 years, a fine of not more than $1 million, or both, plus a mandatory $100 special assessment and a term of supervised release not to exceed five years.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mel S. Johnson and Matthew D. Krueger.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.          

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