SCRANTON — The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Eric R. Colborn of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on April 14, 2021, to 16 months' imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for bank fraud. Judge Mariani also ordered Colborn to pay restitution in the amount of $22,470.40.
According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Colborn previously entered guilty pleas on January 15, 2020 to bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Colborn created a counterfeit Wells Fargo brokerage statement in his name showing that he had in excess of $14,000,000 in a brokerage account, and then fraudulently induced reliance on the counterfeit brokerage statement to secure property and other things of value. One such example occurred when Colborn admittedly issued a bad check to a local realtor in the amount of $2,000 for a down payment toward the purchase of a residence in Dunmore, Pennsylvania with a promise of paying $190,000 in cash at closing. The realtor subsequently contacted Wells Fargo and learned that the brokerage account did not exist.