Westlake Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Bribery and Money Laundering

Aziz Ukshini, of Westlake, yesterday pleaded guilty to charges related to defrauding the St. Paul Croatian Federal Credit Union, according to information provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation for the Northern District of Ohio.

Ukshini was charged with one count of financial institution fraud, one count of giving commissions or gifts for procuring loans (bribery), and two counts of money laundering in November. He was 38 at the time of the charges. According to the plea agreement, the money laundering charges each carry a maximum of 10 years in prison. The fraud and bribery charges carry a maximum of 30 years. 

In the agreement, Ukshini agrees to cooperate with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, if necessary. The case was investigated by the IRS and the FBI, said Daniel P. Dever, public information officer for IRS Criminal Investigation for the district.

Allegedly, Ukshini fraudulently obtained $2.4 million worth of loans from the credit union—this is a decrease from the $2.8 million originally reported in the charges. Ukshini is thought to have worked with Anthony Raguz, the credit union’s former chief operating officer, to receive those loans between September of 2003 and March of 2010.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2013, according to an email from Dever.

For more: 

• Mentor Man Admits to Giving Fraudulent Loans that Caused Credit Union Collapse