Dino Crnalic, 36, was sentenced to 51 months in prison on September 29, 2022 in Charlotte, NC for a bank and wire fraud scheme that defrauded the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and others of more than $800,000.
Dino owned a sushi restaurant and a fitness center in Charlotte known as Suki Akor, and Surge Fitness Centers.
Prosecutors say from July 2017 through November 2019 Dino executed multiple fraudulent schemes and obtained more than $800,000 in SBA backed loans and attempted to obtain an additional loan from federally insured financial institutions.
Dino also fraudulently obtained other forms of financing through other entities.
Dino claimed that the loans would be used to fund various businesses in Charlotte, including a restaurant, Suki Akor, and Surge Fitness Centers, LLC (Surge).
To secure the SBA backed loans and other financing, Dino submitted fraudulent loan documents and made various false statements regarding the purpose of the loans and financing and the involvement of other individuals.
In reality, Dino lied about the involvement of other individuals in the businesses and, rather than using the loans to finance his business ventures, Dino used a significant portion of the proceeds to pay for personal expenses, including trips to various casinos.
On April 13, 2021, Dino pleaded guilty to two counts of financial institution fraud, concealment money laundering, making a false statement to a bank in connection with a loan, and wire fraud.
