Washington Federal Bank investigation
Coverage of the Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Bridgeport failure and the federal investigation into the now-shuttered bank.
Al dictar la sentencia, la jueza Virginia Kendall le dijo a Janice Weston: “Es muy preocupante. Tuviste unos momentos en los que sabías que era ilegal y pudiste irte”.
In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall told Janice Weston, “It’s very troubling. You have a few moments in time where you knew it was illegal and you could have left.”
A federal judge also fined George Kozdemba $25,000 for his role in an embezzlement scheme that led to the 2017 collapse of Washington Federal Bank for Savings.
Barbara Glusak warned two of Washington Federal Bank’s board members about loan fraud, but the two did nothing to stop it — and were later convicted of participating in it. Glusak is now scheduled to testify at the sentencing hearing for Janice Weston and George Kozdemba.
Amy Gembara’s ex-boyfriend was convicted this week in the 2021 killing of her fiancee. Amy’s father, John Gembara, the late CEO and president of Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Bridgeport, was found dead in 2017, shortly before the bank failed.
Mustafaa Saleh admitted he secretly bought county-owned homes and resold them for a profit. He was convicted of fraud involving the county agency.
Customers who trusted the crooked bank to do the right thing are still out up to $312,000 each, as the latest story in the Sun-Times investigative series shows.
Jan Kowalski pleaded guilty last year to concealing assets from a bankruptcy trustee. She helped her brother, Robert Kowalski, hide more than $357,000 while representing him as an attorney in bankruptcy court.
The failure of Washington Federal Bank for Savings has led to criminal charges against 16 people. Among them: former Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, who was convicted last year of lying to regulators and filing false income-tax returns.
Brian Fong is cooperating with prosecutors. Fifteen bank officials, workers and borrowers have been charged, and a Daley family member was convicted of cheating on his taxes in a related case.