Jackson County Loan Officer Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud

Kevin R. Griffin, 43, of Alford, Florida, pled guilty yesterday to bank fraud, admitting to a years-long scheme that gutted customer accounts and exploited his position as a loan officer. The plea, announced by U.S. Attorney Christopher P. Canova for the Northern District of Florida, exposes a brazen betrayal of trust at the heart of a small-town bank.

Griffin worked at the Bank of Bonifay, which later became First Federal Bank of Florida. Between 2010 and 2012, he used his authority to issue undocumented loans to customers, financing them by stealing funds from other clients’ accounts without authorization. He forged loan documents and unlawfully used customers’ assets as collateral—none of it approved, none of it legal.

The fraud wasn’t limited to third parties. Griffin also siphoned money directly from bank customer accounts to fund his personal expenses. His actions weren’t just unethical—they were calculated theft, leveraging confidential financial data to manipulate the system from within.

Federal investigators uncovered a pattern of falsified records and phantom loans, leading to a joint probe by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, and the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The collaboration underscores the severity of the breach in financial oversight.

Griffin now faces up to 30 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 2, 2017, in federal court. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Kim is prosecuting the case, which has already triggered internal reviews at the affected institutions.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida continues to serve as a frontline enforcer of federal law across the region. For case records, visit the U.S. District Court website. Public inquiries may contact Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer, at (850) 216-3854 or amy.alexander@usdoj.gov.