Man Sentenced for Role in Scheme to Defraud EXIM

(PR Newswire, Chicago, 15 March 2021) As a result of the efforts of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), in coordination with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, a Florida business owner was sentenced to 36 months' probation and ordered to pay over $140,000 for his role in a scheme to defraud EXIM. EXIM paid $142,472 for the fraudulent claim to Romel Ramon Duran-Martinez (Duran), 59, owner of Miami-based Deoca Manufacturing Co. (Deoca), although Deoca had received full payment for the transaction. To conceal this fraud, Duran directed individuals to lie and otherwise deal with EXIM in bad faith, which delayed the discovery of the fraud.  Because Duran previously paid approximately $39,000.00 to EXIM in administrative repayments prior to the Court's ruling, the Court further ordered Duran to pay $110,970.66 in restitution to EXIM, $29,029.34 for investigative costs, as well as a $603 Special Assessment Fee.