Steven John McGuire, Bank Fraud, Oklahoma 1999

A Tulsa resident who’s spent 17 years on the run has finally faced justice for his 1999 bank fraud conviction. Steven John McGuire, 54, of Henderson, Nevada, was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by 18 months of supervised release, with the condition that he serve six months in home detention with electronic monitoring.

McGuire’s troubles began in 1998 when he deposited a $25,000 temporary check into his business bank account, drawn on a different bank account in McKinney, Texas, that only had a balance of $100. This inflated the balance in that account, allowing McGuire to withdraw cash and write checks totaling $22,747.79 before the return of the unfunded check.

In May 1998, McGuire received a legitimate check from a customer for approximately $34,000. Instead of depositing those funds into his account at the victim bank to cover his inflated balance there, McGuire opened yet another bank account at a third bank, and purchased a $33,000 Certificate of Deposit to secure a $35,000 line of credit.

McGuire’s scheme was uncovered, and he was sentenced to six months of home detention with electronic monitoring to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the bank in the amount of $19,747.79.

However, McGuire had other plans. In 2002, authorities discovered that he had violated the terms of his supervised release by committing bank fraud again. McGuire fled Oklahoma, abandoning his residence and leaving behind his leased vehicle and disconnected telephone accounts.

For 17 years, McGuire lived under an assumed identity in Henderson, Nevada. It wasn’t until a routine traffic stop in February 2019 that the Henderson Police Department learned of the warrant for McGuire’s arrest. When McGuire provided false identification to the officer, he ran from the officer, and after a lengthy foot pursuit and violent struggle, McGuire was taken into custody.

McGuire’s attorney was not available for comment, but U.S. Attorney Trent Shores had harsh words for the defendant. ‘Steven McGuire is a con artist. He has not changed. He has a lengthy history of avoiding responsibility as evidenced by his continued fraudulent financial activity after his initial conviction, living as a fugitive under an assumed identity, and most recently, fleeing and violently resisting police officers who were about to discover there was a warrant for his arrest.’

McGuire’s case serves as a reminder that justice may be delayed, but it is never denied. As U.S. Attorney Shores said, ‘Justice may have been delayed for 17 years, but today justice has been served.’

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