Evergreen Reporter

BENTON, Ill. – The former president of a bank in southern Illinois was sentenced Thursday for his role in falsifying bank records to facilitate real estate loans.

Steven Cook was fined $6,000 and sentenced to 50 hours of community service and two weekends in the Jackson County jail. He will also likely be banned from the banking industry for life.

Cook fraudulently facilitated three different sales of commercial real estate to Lawler and Maze Properties LLC in 2022. Cook was the president of SouthernTrust Bank at the time and was also on the bank’s board of trustees and a member of its loan committee. The bank has branches in Marion, Vienna, and Goreville, Illinois.

Cook approved one loan that funded the sale of seven commercial rental properties in Williamson and Franklin counties from Results Home Buyers 2 to Lawler and Maze. The transaction was a new purchase of real estate, not a refinance, and the buyers were not using any cash to fund the purchase. But during an April 6, 2022 meeting with the seller and buyer, Cook and others agreed to fraudulently make it appear as if the loan was a refinancing. Cook also agreed that the bank would supply the cash for the purchase. They agreed to backdate documents to falsely indicate that the buyer purchased the properties on Feb. 1, 2022 for a falsely inflated price of $545,152. The documents also falsely indicated that the bank was refinancing 80% of that loan, with buyers bringing 20% in cash to the sale. The bank’s loan committee approved this based on false information.

Results Home Buyers 2 is partially owned by former Williamson County State’s Attorney Brandon Zanotti.

In August 2022, Cook facilitated a second real estate transaction for purchasing four properties by Lawler and Maze. Cook, along with others involved, agreed that they would falsely list a sales price of $413,000 instead of $330,400 on official documents while stating that buyers would supply $82,600 in cash.

In November 2022, Cook facilitated another loan for Lawler and Maze's property purchase in Marion where documents falsely stated borrowers would supply $21,500 cash.

Cook pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Benton in June to three felony counts of aiding and abetting making false bank entries. Zanotti pleaded guilty in March to one count of similar charges; he received two years probation alongside fines totaling $5,000 plus community service hours amounting to twenty hours. His conduct has been reported accordingly.

Lawler and Maze LLC is owned by Justin Maze and David Lawler who entered into pretrial diversion programs acknowledging their involvement with Zanotti's criminal conduct as well as Cooks'. As part conditions within these programs included Maze resigning from his position as Williamson County Circuit Clerk without seeking re-election whereas Lawlers' actions have been reported similarly.

“The FBI works daily disrupting fraudulent activity recognizing its impact upon banking institutions,” stated FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent Christopher Johnson adding “FBI Springfield continues dedicating investigative resources targeting fraud protecting integrity within banking processes.”

The FBI Springfield Field Office alongside Federal Housing Finance Agency Office Inspector General investigated this case prosecuted by Special Attorney Hal Goldsmith from Eastern District Missouri due recusal US Attorney’s Office Southern District Illinois.