WICHITA - Aformer loan officer for a bank in Great Bend was sentenced Monday to six months in prison followed by six months home detention for bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. In addition, he was ordered to pay $124,000 in restitution and $50,000 in a personal forfeiture judgment.

 Brian W. Harrison, 56, Great Bend, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. In his plea, he admitted the crime occurred during the time from 2004 to 2012 when he was a loan officer for Farmer’s Bank and Trust in Great Bend. 

 His duties included reviewing, approving and disbursing loans. In furtherance of a scheme to defraud the bank, he made or caused to be made false statements to the bank to hide the poor performance of various loans he made. His false statements were intended to deflect questions from bank officers about problems with his loans. He falsified credit and loan applications, promissory notes and security agreements on behalf of a purported debtor without the debtor’s proper authority. 

 Grissom commended the FBI, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith for their work on the case.

 “Vigorous criminal law enforcement by SIGTARP and our partners leaves the banking industry safer than we found it,” said Christy Romero, Special Inspector General for TARP (SIGTARP).