Chicago Brothers Sentenced to 15 and 12 Years in Federal Prison for Airplane Loan Scam

BOSTON – Two Chicago brothers were sentenced today in federal court in Worcester for defrauding and attempting to defraud banks out of $4 million in an airplane loan scheme.

Ryan Miller, 32, and Dusten James Miller, 31, were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release, and 12 years in prison and five years of supervised release, respectively. In February 2018, the brothers were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft. Ryan Miller was also convicted of one count of bank fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

From March 2013 through March 2016, Ryan and Dusten Miller, along with other co-conspirators, were engaged in a scheme to defraud banks by obtaining and attempting to obtain fraudulent airplane loans. Using stolen identities, the brothers posed as the buyers and the sellers of airplanes; they filled out fraudulent loan applications and provided the banks with false and fraudulent documents in support of those applications, such as tax returns, bank statements, driver’s licenses and Social Security cards. Once the loans were approved, the brothers arranged for the loan documents to be sent to an email address they created, or a physical address - usually a virtual office location they set-up. The Millers then signed and notarized the loan documents and sent them back to the banks. They also provided the banks with instructions to wire the fraudulent loan proceeds to multiple bank accounts in the name of sham corporations the brothers set up. Once the funds were wired to those accounts, the brothers used the funds to purchase luxury cars and homes, to fund private chauffeurs, and to buy Rolex watches and other luxury items. In total, the brothers defrauded at least five banks and used the personal identifying information of at least nine individuals from all across the country.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Thomas J. Ullom, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Regional Office, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karin M. Bell and Greg A. Friedholm of Lelling’s Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.