By Joseph Lariosa
GMA 7 TV
A loan broker from
the Philippines has been charged in connection with a $15 million scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank of the United States (the Ex-Im Bank), officials said on Tuesday.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a nine-count indictment against Bettina Balderrama, also known as Bonnie Balderrama, 57, of Manila, said US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeffrey A. Taylor.
The indictment charges that Balderrama brokered approximately $15 million worth of fraudulent loan transactions between companies located in the Philippines and US lending banks, in which the Ex-Im Bank acted as guarantor or insurer.
The Ex-Im Bank, an independent agency of the United States, is the official export credit agency of the United States and issues loan guaranties and insurance to US banks on behalf of creditworthy foreign companies for the purpose of purchasing US goods.
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