Massachusetts Man Sentenced in NH Business Fraud Scheme

James Bender of Sharon, MA, was a former senior vice president of trade finance for Sovereign Bank. He was accused of conspiring to defraud several Latin American customers of Goss International Americas. The U.S. attorney's office says the 49-year-old Bender arranged for the bank to purchase loans extended to customers and formed shell companies to defraud businesses.

The customers were sent fraudulent invoices charging them for loan underwriting services that weren't rendered.