A Lawrence builder is charged with bank fraud, accused of buying off a public official in a Junction City housing development project.

David Ray Freeman, 45, is charged in U.S. District Court in Topeka with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, evading federal currency reporting requirements and interfering with interstate commerce by extortion of a public official.

Federal prosecutors said Freeman befriended a member of the Junction City Commission in 2004, as the city was preparing for an influx of residents, due to a large troop buildup at Fort Riley.

Prosecutors said in 2006, Freeman began paying the commissioner in exchange for development contracts totaling more than $12 million.

If convicted, Freeman could be sentenced to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. The government is also seeking any proceeds of the crime, including cash and property.