University alumnus and former football player Merrill Robertson Jr. received renewed attention over allegations of conspiracy to commit fraud Feb. 10, when a fellow alleged conspirator referenced him in a confession. Robertson was indicted in October 2016 on several accounts of fraud and illegal monetary transactions.
According to Virginia Sports, Robertson played for the University from 1999 to 2001.
The conspirator, Marlon Hardy, was charged with planning and intending to commit bank fraud against the U.S. Hardy pleaded guilty and included Robertson as an accomplice in a statement of facts submitted to the court. Two other conspirators were mentioned but remained unidentified.
Hardy is set to be sentenced Sept. 12 and will face up to 40 years in prison. Robertson pleaded not guilty to all allegations.
The statement of facts submitted to the court detailed Hardy, Robertson and their conspirators’ alleged scheme to obtain money, funds, credits, assets and securities owned by and under the custody and control of financial institutions in direct violation of the law. The alleged scheme began in 2015 and continued through July 2016.
“The purpose of this conspiracy was for Hardy and his conspirators to personally profit by obtaining fraudulent loans and other forms of credit from financial institutions,” the statement said.
The statement also said Hardy and his conspirators approached individuals and offered to help them obtain loans and other forms of credit. Falsified loans and other forms of credit applications were then submitted to financial institutions on behalf of these individuals. The fake applications misrepresented the purpose of the loans, the collateral securing the loans and the borrowers’ employment and financial status.
According to the statement, the conspirators fabricated documents including W-2 forms and pay stubs to obtain approval for some of these loans and lines of credit. The falsified documents inaccurately stated the borrower was an employee of Cavalier Union Investments LLC — a company allegedly co-owned by Robertson.
The statement describes one alleged example of fraud where Hardy, Robertson and their conspirators all submitted an online loan application to Navy Federal Credit Union in the name of D.W. with the purpose of purchasing a new vehicle for $41,000. The application explained D.W. had been employed by Cavalier Union Investments for 16 years and he earned a monthly salary of $9,526. In truth, D.W. did not work for Cavalier Union Investments, have the expressed salary or intend to purchase a vehicle.
The statement alleges Robertson acquired an NFCU loan proceeds check payable to D.W. and Merrill Robertson for the amount of $41,000. Robertson allegedly took the check to a bank where the teller provided Robertson with $20,000 in cash and a cashier’s check payable to himself for the remaining $21,000.
Robertson was indicted in a related fraud case in October, when Robertson and Sherman Carl Vaughn Jr. — co-owner of Cavalier Union Investments LLC Sherman — were accused of conning more than $9 million from over 50 investors for personal profit.
The October indictment charged Robertson with bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and engaging in an unlawful monetary transaction.
Vaughn pleaded guilty in September and Robertson is scheduled to face trial Aug. 14.
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