MIAMI LAKES, FL – Heleonel Gonzalez, 48, of Miami Lakes, Florida, has pleaded guilty to bank fraud after orchestrating a multi-million-dollar scheme that defrauded Peach State Federal Credit Union out of $6 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Gonzalez, who owned and operated Sharp Insurance Agency, Inc. in Miami Lakes, targeted P1 Finance, a commercial lender, by falsely claiming that customers of his insurance agency had authorized him to apply for premium-financing loans on their behalf. The scheme involved submitting fraudulent documents, including Premium Finance Agreements and Disclosure Statements, which misrepresented that Sharp Insurance Agency had issued property and casualty insurance policies to purported customers of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation in Jacksonville, Florida.
The fraudulent documents also falsely claimed that the loan proceeds would solely be used to pay the insurance premiums, leading Peach State Federal Credit Union to issue loans and transfer approximately $6 million to Gonzalez.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan condemned the scheme, saying that Gonzalez’s deceptive actions were aimed at personal financial gain, undermining the integrity of the U.S. financial system. Gonzalez is scheduled for sentencing on February 20, 2025, at 2 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones. He faces serious consequences for his role in this large-scale financial crime.
