Gary Rickenbach
Feds Ask To Sell One Bank & Trust
A change of ownership is in motion for Little Rock’s One Bank & Trust. The U.S. government has asked for a court-ordered stock sale of controlling interest in the $305 million-asset bank. read more >
by George Waldon -
Gary Rickenbach Gets 2 Years of Probation, 100 Service Hours
Gary Rickenbach is sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service in exchange for pleading guilty to failing to report a crime. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Rickenbach To Offer Low Risk Status for No Prison at Wednesday Sentencing
His testimony failed to convict his former co-workers, but Gary Rickenbach is still hoping to avoid prison time for his admitted role in a fraudulent loan made by One Bank & Trust when he was its senior executive vice president. read more >
Two Former One Bank Execs Set for October Trial
The knottiest white-collar criminal case in recent memory should finally go to trial next month, but only half of the original defendants will face the jury. read more >
Fifth Amendment Rights Behind One Bank & Trust Trial Delay
An unusual plea deal struck by former One Bank & Trust executive Gary Rickenbach has delayed the trial of two of his former co-workers, Brad Paul and Mike Heald read more >
Trial Set for June 1 for Former One Bank Execs
The federal criminal trial of two remaining defendants formerly of One Bank & Trust of Little Rock is still scheduled to start next week, although indications are that it will be June 1 rather than May 30. read more >
‘When You Steal $1.5 Million …’ (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
For the second straight week, I’m going to write about listening to the Chief U.S. District Judge deliver a well-reasoned message on fair play. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Scooter Stuart’s Fall Still Feeds Litigation
Only a handful of lawsuits that erupted from the upheaval at One Bank & Trust continue to wind through the court system. read more >
by George Waldon -
One Bank Customer Solaroli Sentenced to One Year in Federal Prison
"I think when you steal $1.5 million, you deserve prison," Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Miller of Little Rock told Alberto Solaroli, the Canadian citizen who pleaded guilty to laundering proceeds from a 2007 bank loan. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
The Art of the Plea Deal (Gwen Moritz Editor’s Note)
While the sentence was up to Judge Holmes, defense lawyer W.H. Taylor of Fayetteville negotiated a deal in which Dennis Smiley Jr. pleaded guilty to only a single count of bank fraud — but he had to accept responsibility and restitution for more than 20 bank victims and their combined losses of nearly $5 million. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Judge Dismisses 4-Count Indictment Against Tom Whitehead
The four-count criminal indictment against former One Bank & Trust executive Tom Whitehead was dismissed Thursday by U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker at the request of federal prosecutors. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Gary Rickenbach Offers Conditional Guilty Plea in One Bank Case
Gary Rickenbach, the former senior executive vice president of One Bank & Trust of Little Rock, offered a conditional guilty plea in federal court provided the judge agrees to sentence him to two years of probation. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Federal Prosecutors Sue Scooter Stuart’s Estate, Family Trusts
The lawsuit is the latest in a cascade of civil and criminal cases alleging widespread and long-term fraud by Stuart and other executives of One Bank & Trust and its holding company. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Matthew Sweet, Former One Bank Controller, Sentenced to Probation
Federal prosecutors agreed to seek no prison time for Sweet, who had repaid One Bank for $110,000 embezzled to pay his personal credit cards. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
One Bank Customer Pleads Guilty to Reduced Federal Charge of Money Laundering
In a plea deal reached with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Little Rock, Albert Solaroli pleaded guilty to laundering $120,000 of the loan in exchange for having a pending bank fraud charge dismissed. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Grand Jury Indicts 4 Tied to One Bank Loans to Alberto Solaroli
A grand jury indictment names a quartet of former top executives at One Bank & Trust in an alleged conspiracy to defraud the federal government. read more >
by George Waldon -
Matthew Sweet Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering
Matthew D. Sweet, the former comptroller of One Bank & Trust of Little Rock, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a single count of money laundering, and federal prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence of probation. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Former One Bank Officer Matthew Sweet to Plead Guilty
Matthew D. Sweet, the former vice president and controller of Little Rock's One Bank & Trust, will plead guilty Wednesday to one of the 60 federal felony counts that have been pending for more than a year. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
One Bank Takes Claims Against David Crews to Federal Bankruptcy Court
The financial tiff between David Crews and Little Rock’s One Bank & Trust has shifted venues from Pulaski County Circuit Court to U.S. Bankruptcy Court. read more >
Court Appoints Former LR Mayor Special Administrator in Scooter Stuart Case
Tom Prince, former Little Rock mayor, has entered the fray between Little Rock’s One Bank & Trust and the estate of its former controlling owner and CEO, Layton “Scooter” Stuart. read more >
by George Waldon -