El Dorado Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Dr., Bank Out of $500k
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: September 20, 2012
An El Dorado man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to defrauding a Doctor and bank out of more than half a million dollars.
According to US Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas Conner Eldridge, 31-year-old Jason Christopher Knight pleaded guilty to seven counts of bank fraud involving the medical practice with which he was the bookkeeper.
Knight defrauded the Dr.'s office and bank out of approximately $540,000 over an eight-year period of time.
Eldridge commented, "We will continue to prosecute those who commit fraud and abuse positions of trust in order to enrich themselves. In this case, a bookkeeper used his position to defraud his employer and a local bank of a substantial sum of money. This conduct is egregious, and he has been held accountable."
According to information in the plea agreement, Knight was employed as a bookkeeper for Neurology and Sleep Disorder Center of South Arkansas ("NSDC") and Akshar, LLC, a hotel venture that operated hotels and motels in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. Both entities conducted business in El Dorado, and were owned by Dr. Shailesh Vora.
As bookkeeper, Knight was authorized to issue checks drawn from several NSDC and Akshar, LLC bank accounts.
From June 2002 to 2009, Knight used his position to draw approximately 215 checks and
$540,298.24 from several of the companies and BancorpSouth checking accounts without Dr. Vora's authorization. Knight deposited the funds into a BancorpSouth account in the name of an investment company he controlled called Knight's Investments.
For each count, Knight faces a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment and up to a
$1,000,000 fine.
According to US Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas Conner Eldridge, 31-year-old Jason Christopher Knight pleaded guilty to seven counts of bank fraud involving the medical practice with which he was the bookkeeper.
Knight defrauded the Dr.'s office and bank out of approximately $540,000 over an eight-year period of time.
Eldridge commented, "We will continue to prosecute those who commit fraud and abuse positions of trust in order to enrich themselves. In this case, a bookkeeper used his position to defraud his employer and a local bank of a substantial sum of money. This conduct is egregious, and he has been held accountable."
According to information in the plea agreement, Knight was employed as a bookkeeper for Neurology and Sleep Disorder Center of South Arkansas ("NSDC") and Akshar, LLC, a hotel venture that operated hotels and motels in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. Both entities conducted business in El Dorado, and were owned by Dr. Shailesh Vora.
As bookkeeper, Knight was authorized to issue checks drawn from several NSDC and Akshar, LLC bank accounts.
From June 2002 to 2009, Knight used his position to draw approximately 215 checks and
$540,298.24 from several of the companies and BancorpSouth checking accounts without Dr. Vora's authorization. Knight deposited the funds into a BancorpSouth account in the name of an investment company he controlled called Knight's Investments.
For each count, Knight faces a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment and up to a
$1,000,000 fine.
