Missouri man gets 22 years for loan fraud

KANSAS CITY — A northwest Missouri man draws a 22-year sentence in federal prison for a loan scheme that defrauded investors around the country, including a church in Las Vegas.

U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner on Thursday also ordered 43-year-old Jason E. Branch of Grandview to pay $1.4 million in restitution.

Branch was convicted last year of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Federal prosecutors accused Branch of soliciting investors through a variety of means, including seminars in Kansas City, Florida and Georgia.

Investors were promised loans in exchange for paying advance fees, but never got the loans.

Victims included Greater St. Paul Church of God in Christ in Las Vegas, which paid Branch a $150,000 fee but never received a promised construction loan of $3.75 million.