CLEVELAND, Ohio –John Struna, 52, has pleaded guilty to defrauding the former Taupa Lithuanian Credit Union out of more than $2.3-million.
Struna is now scheduled for sentencing in February of 2015. Taupa Lithuanian failed and is now in receivership with NCUA. Struna, who has been convicted of bank fraud, making false statements, and money laundering, has been ordered to forfeit ownership of the Sunny Street Café in Concord Township, Ohio, a condominium he owns in Florida, and a 2014 Mazda, which were purchased from the proceeds of the fraud scheme. Under that scheme, Struna, who had both personal and corporate accounts with the credit union, was found guilty of conspiring from 2002-2013 with the credit union's former CEO, Alex Spirikaitis, to make more than 45 bogus transfers into Struna's accounts.
In all, Struna received more than $2.3 million from the one-time $24-million credit union, just $15,000 of which he ever repaid. Spirikaitis has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and is scheduled to be sentenced this Friday.
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