Matthew R. Molsen United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska | U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska
Jesse T. Hill, a 35-year-old resident of Hickman, Nebraska, has entered a guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. This development was announced by United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods and took place before United States Magistrate Judge Jacqueline M. DeLuca. The sentencing for Hill is scheduled for September 11, 2025, at 3 p.m., where he will appear before United States District Court Judge Susan M. Bazis.
Hill could face up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, and a mandatory special assessment of $100. Additionally, he has agreed to pay restitution and forfeit his interest in certain assets including a property in Puerto Rico, a PC-12/47E Pilatus Aircraft, and funds held in a Charles Schwab account.
The case involves another individual referred to as Individual 1 who operated a real estate business in Nebraska and passed away on November 2, 2022. Hill's involvement dates back to when he was an investment advisor operating JT Equity Trading, LLC from 2013 until it ceased operations in 2018. Subsequently, he organized First SOJO Capital Group, LLC (“First SOJO”) in 2019 which managed two pooled investment vehicles.
From November 2020 onwards, Hill and Individual 1 sought loans from financial institutions across Nebraska and western Iowa under false pretenses that they were intended for real estate investments. The collateral for these loans was misrepresented as being tied to an investment account managed by Hill.
To facilitate the loan process with the financial institutions, fraudulent documents were presented claiming that Individual 1 or their entities were clients of Hill’s investment firms JT Equity or First SOJO. False invoices were also prepared by Hill from JT Equity or Piedmont Fund Services.
As part of this scheme aimed at defrauding financial institutions out of approximately $45.65 million through at least 19 different entities, proceeds were funneled into failed investments while some funds went towards purchasing various assets including the aforementioned aircraft and property.
This investigation involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - Office of the Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Federal Housing Finance Agency - Office of the Inspector General (FHFA-OIG), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System - Office of the Inspector General (FRB-OIG) with assistance from local law enforcement such as Nebraska State Patrol among others.