A Lawrence businessman has been found guilty on four counts of bank fraud and two counts of making false bank statements, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice.

At the time of the crimes — almost a decade ago — Troy A. Gregory was a Lawrence resident and an executive and loan officer at Lawrence’s University National Bank, according to a Dec. 1, 2017 indictment.

The DOJ said in a news release at the time that the bank fraud scheme was to obtain a $15 million construction loan from 26 Kansas banks based on false information contained in the loan documents.

The indictment said that Gregory, while at University National Bank, made millions of dollars in loans to a group of borrowers that were struggling to make payments on the loans. Beginning around late 2007, Gregory began the process of making a $15.2 million construction loan to that same group of borrowers to build an apartment complex in Junction City. Gregory’s bank shared this loan with 25 other Kansas banks.

The jury found that Gregory made or caused other people to make false statements to the banks about the strength of the borrowers, the debt status of the apartment property and the existence of about $1.7 million in certificates of deposit for collateral on the loan, all to get the loan approved.

Instead of using the loan funds promised for building the apartments, Gregory immediately diverted more than $1 million of the loan to pay for part of the certificates of deposit pledged as collateral, pay off debt on the apartment property and make payments on unrelated loans. Other Kansas banks that shared in this loan would not have participated in the loan without the false representations and promises.

The indictment said that the banks ultimately wrote off millions of dollars on the $15.2 million construction loan.

Gregory was also indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, the Journal-World reported. The jury failed to reach a verdict on that charge, according to Peter Carr, spokesman for the DOJ.

Gregory’s case went to trial beginning Aug. 6 in the courtroom of District Judge Carlos Murguia, according to online records for the U.S. District Court in Kansas. The jury returned its verdict Monday afternoon, Carr told the Journal-World via email.

Gregory is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28, 2020, Carr said.

An email to Gregory’s attorneys was not immediately answered Monday evening.