Bank Fraud, And Son’s Theft Of Over $500,000 From Mother’s Trust Funds

It looks like Kent Joseph Gockel got what was coming to him: 30 months in federal prison. 

In pleading guilty to 11 counts of bank fraud, Gockel admitted that after his father’s death in 2002, he began taking care of his mother’s finances. Gockel’s father, who had owned a grocery store in St. Mary’s, Kansas, had established two revokable living trusts to provide for his wife and children.
 
On July 19, 2008, Gockel’s mother learned that her trust account at Silver Lake Bank was overdrawn. A review of bank statements revealed that Gockel had been writing checks to himself or to cash from his mother’s accounts without her knowledge.
 
On January 7, 2009, his mother learned that another account she had at Kaw Valley State Bank had been almost emptied. A review of the account revealed Gockel had wired money or written checks from the trust accounts totaling more than $500,000. Gockel made wire transfers from his mother’s accounts to Hall of Fame Collectables in Allentown, PA, BMX Entertainment S.A. of San Jose, Costa Rica, and Olympus Entertainment Group, St. John’s Antigua, West Indies.
 
According to the government, Gockel stole a total of $584,688 through the bank fraud scheme.
 
The sentence is consecutive to a 30 month sentence in a prior case in which Gockel was convicted on a federal firearms violation. He also was ordered to pay restitution.