Embattled Car Dealer Indicted in Federal Court for Bank Fraud

LUBBOCK, TX – Reagor Dykes Auto Group owner Bart Reagor has been charged with lying about using business loans for personal expenses. 

According to the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah, on Apr. 22, a federal grand jury indicted Bart Wade Reagor, 55, on two counts of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a bank insured by the FDIC. He will make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno in Amarillo on Monday at 2 p.m.

“Even as his businesses struggled financially, Mr. Reagor diverted business loan funds into his personal bank accounts, expressly violating his agreement with the bank,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. “Lying to an FDIC-insured financial institution is a federal crime, one we will not abide. We are determined to hold to account every Reagor Dykes employee who engaged in financial misconduct.”

“Mr. Reagor used his executive influence to allegedly defraud a lending institution and cause the loss of a significant amount of money,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “Corporate fraud schemes, like those that involve diverting millions of dollars to personal funds, have the potential to cause immeasurable damage to the public’s confidence in our economy.”

According to the indictment, in the first quarter of 2017, one of Reagor Dykes’ floorplan lenders conducted an audit that placed the auto group in a weak cash position.

In order obtain cash to continue operations, D & R Acquisitions, a limited liability company formed to hold Reagor Dykes’ real estate assets, entered into a loan agreement with International Bank of Commerce (IBC). The agreement included a $10,000,000 working capital loan, which was distributed by IBC to D&R in two tranches: $5,000,000 in July 2017 and another $5,000,000 in February 2018, to be disbursed to the various RDAG entities.  

However, in applying for the loan, Mr. Reagor allegedly misrepresented its purpose, concealing from IBC the fact that he planned to divert some of the proceeds from the working capital loan into his own personal account for personal expenses. (The loan agreement expressly prohibited Mr. Reagor and others from diverting loan proceeds to their personal bank accounts, and IBC would not have approved the loan if Mr. Reagor or anyone else had disclosed to IBC that some of the loan proceeds would be diverted to Mr. Reagor’s personal bank accounts.)

In total, Mr. Reagor diverted more than $1.7 million to his personal account at Prosperity Bank -- $766,277 in July 2017, following IBC’s disbursement of the first tranche of money, and $1 million in February 2018, following IBC’s disbursement of the second tranche of money.

Prior to Mr. Reagor’s indictment, 15 of his employees pleaded guilty to various crimes involving dummy flooring and check kitting at Reagor Dykes, including:

• Shane Andrew Smith, Reagor Dykes’ CEO, who pleaded guilty in June 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; he is slated to be sentenced on July 27.
   
• Diana Urias, an office manager in Reagor Dykes’ used car mall in Levelland, who pleaded guilty in September 2019 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud; she is slated to be sentenced on May 4.
   
• Sheila Miller, an RDAG group controller, who pleaded guilty in September 2019 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud; she is slated to be sentenced on May 4.
   
• Paige Johnston, an office manager in Reagor Dykes’ Chevrolet store in Floydada, who pleaded guilty in October 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; she is slated to be sentenced on May 20.
   
• Lindsay Williams, and RDAG group accounting manager, who pleaded guilty in October 2019 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud; she is slated to be sentenced on May 13.
   
• Sherri Wood, an office manager at Reagor Dykes’ Ford store in Plainview, who pleaded guilty in October 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; she is slated to be sentenced May 6.
   
• Pepper Rickman, an accounting controller at Reagor Dykes’ Toyota store in Plainview, who pleaded guilty in October 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; he is slated to be sentenced May 4.
   
• Brad Fansler, an RDAG group administrative director, who pleaded guilty in November 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; he is slated to be sentenced May 4.
   
• Ashley Dunn, executive assistant to the CEO, who pleaded guilty in December 2019 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud; she is slated to be sentenced on May 4.
   
• Whitney Maldonado, an office manager at Reagor Dykes’ Mitsubishi store in Lubbock, who pleaded guilty in December 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; she is slated to be sentenced on May 6.
   
• Elaina Cabral, an office manager at Reagor Dykes’ Toyota store in Plainview, who pleaded guilty in December 2019 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; she is slated to be sentenced May 6.
   
• Mistry Canady, an office manager at Reagor Dykes’ Ford store in Lamesa, who pleaded guilty in January 2020 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; she is slated to be sentenced on May 13.
   
• Andrea Kate Phillips, an office manager at Reagor Dykes’ Ford store in Plainview, who pleaded guilty in February 2020 to misprision of a felony; she is slated to be sentenced on May 6.
   
• Wesley Neel, RDAG Safety & Compliance Manager, who pleaded guilty in March 2020 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; he is slated to be sentenced May 6.
   
• Steven Reinhart, RDAG Legal Compliance Director, who pleaded guilty in February 2021 to misprision of a felony; he is slated to be sentenced June 22.
   

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Reagor is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, Mr. Reagor faces up to 90 years in federal prison, and will be required to forfeit any property traceable to the offense.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and Internal Revenue Services - Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Frausto, Jeffrey Haag, and Amy Burch are prosecuting the case.