Former Judge Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

Former judge Thomas Stringer agrees to plead guilty to bank fraud
Tampa Bay Business Journal - July 23, 2009

Thomas E. Stringer, a former judge in the Florida Second District Court of Appeal, was charged with bank fraud in court documents filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. Stringer has signed an agreement saying he would enter a guilty plea in the case. The agreement also was filed with the court. According to the court filing, Stringer lied on a mortgage application to Wells Fargo Bank for a home he bought in Hawaii. The filing said Stringer claimed he did not borrow any money for a down payment on the home, but he actually had borrowed the money from a third party. If a judge accepts the agreement and Stringer is convicted, he could face up to 30 years in federal prison. However, he likely will get a non-custodial sentence because it appears no one lost any money in the scheme, a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office said. The U.S. Justice Department intends to seek forfeiture of $222,362, the amount of the proceeds from the alleged fraud, the release said. Stringer resigned from the appeals court earlier this year. The conduct that formed the basis of the criminal charge was unrelated to his occupation as a judge, the release said. Stringer has cooperated with government investigators and accepted responsibility for his actions, and the loan was repaid in full, the release said.