January 15, 2023 – FRESNO, Calif. — Scott Radtke, 60, of Clovis, was sentenced on Thursday to four and a half years in prison for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Radtke owned California Motoring Company, a car dealership in Clovis. Beginning as early as Jan. 1, 2016, and continuing through June 2017, Radtke executed a scheme to defraud banks. When customers wanted to buy vehicles that Radtke’s dealership did not have in its inventory, Radtke offered customers the opportunity to buy them from other dealerships. Radtke received up-front payments from the customers or their banks, but did not give that money to the other dealerships. Instead, he spent it on business and personal expenses. Radtke then signed the customers’ names on sale documents and loan applications, which led banks to issue loans without the customers’ knowledge or authorization. Radtke’s actions involved at least 48 vehicles and over $2 million in fraudulently obtained goods and funds.

This case was the product of an investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael G. Tierney and Alexandre M. Dempsey prosecuted the case.

Radtke was ordered to surrender himself on March 10, 2023, to begin serving his sentence.

Source: DOJ Release