Springfield Restaurant Owner Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for His Role in Submitting Fraudulent Loan Applications

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A Springfield, Illinois, man, Omar Hernandez-Lopez, 39, was sentenced today to 18 months' imprisonment for concealment of a felony in connection with wire fraud and false statements on loan applications. Following his prison sentence, he will serve a 12-month term of supervised release.

At Hernandez-Lopez's sentencing hearing, Senior U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, found that starting around June 2018 and continuing until at least June 2019, Hernandez-Lopez was aware of and acted to conceal the fraudulent nature of several falsified documents that were submitted to loan providers. Two fraudulent loan packages were submitted in an unsuccessful attempt to obtain a business loan for Hernandez-Lopez's Springfield restaurant, La Fiesta Grande. The other two fraudulent loan packages were submitted in a successful attempt to obtain a home mortgage loan. Hernandez-Lopez was aware of the submission of fraudulent documents and took steps to conceal their fraudulent nature from the loan companies and law enforcement.

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence showing that Hernandez-Lopez's name is on the deed of the house for the fraudulently obtained mortgage and he operated the restaurant.

The sentencing follows Hernandez-Lopez's guilty plea in April 2024. The statutory penalties for misprision of a felony are up to three years' imprisonment, one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

The charges were investigated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, Chicago Region. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sierra Senor-Moore and Tanner Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.