TULSA, Okla.–Twenty-two people here have been charged in an alleged scheme related to a member of a credit union who provided fraudulent documents to the individuals, that in turn resulted in loans totaling more than $244,000.
One man, Barry Paul Wright (also referred to in some records as Paul Barry Wright), was listed as a co-defendant with each of the 21 others, according to the Tulsa World. All of the defendants were charged in Tulsa County District Court with at least one count of obtaining property under false pretenses.
Court documents state that an investigator at Tinker Federal Credit Union contacted police about several people who allegedly applied for vehicle loans using fraudulent information between April and September 2016, the Tulsa World reported. The court documents further allege that Wright applied for a vehicle loan in April 2016 and received a loan of more than $20,000 for a Mercedes Benz. It was later discovered Wright had used false information.
When looking at Wright’s Facebook page, investigators noticed he was connected with several people who had already been identified as having obtained fraudulent loans, authorities told the Tulsa World.
“In November 2016, one of the people charged, Paul White, attempted to make a loan payment and was told to call TFCU’s investigator, who reportedly told White he knew that White had used a false Social Security number,” the Tulsa World reported. “White told the investigator that he got a phony pay stub and Social Security number from Wright, according to court records. He reportedly told the investigator he paid Wright $2,500 for the information.”
Authorities are alleging the 22 people received loans ranging from $10,000 to $22,000.