Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Houston man, William Mills, 62, has confessed to laundering money from a major bank fraud scheme. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Mills admitted his role in a conspiracy from 2014 to 2023 that involved fraudulent loans amounting to at least $35 million.
Mills acknowledged that he opened and maintained shell companies and bank accounts to channel the proceeds from this scheme. He transferred the laundered funds to accounts managed by co-conspirators. The fraudulent activities involved preparing loan applications with false information, using fake documents including equipment sales invoices, income tax returns, and financial statements.
Sentencing is set for June 27 by U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison. Mills could face up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 or potentially twice the laundered amount. He will stay in custody until the sentencing hearing.
Two other individuals from Houston, Jeremiah Almaguer, 45, and Bun Khath, 44, have also pleaded guilty to money laundering in connection with the same scheme and are awaiting sentencing. Another suspect, Hugo Villanueva, 70, remains at large with an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Authorities are seeking information on his location, and the FBI can be contacted at 713-693-5000.
The investigation was carried out by multiple agencies including the Federal Housing Finance Agency-Office of Inspector General (OIG), IRS Criminal Investigation, FBI, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-OIG. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek.
