Lima man charged with falsely overstating assets to bank

Terry J. Ellis, 77, of Lima, was charged via criminal information with making a false report to a bank, said Justin E. Herdman, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Ellis in 2010 willfully and falsely overstated assets in relation to a line of credit. Ellis told JPMorgan Chase Bank that assets were approximately $2.3 million when in truth, as Ellis knew, the assets were approximately $1.9 million, according to the information.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The investigating agency in this case is the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Inspector General, Export-Import Bank. case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gene Crawford.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.