MARIANNA — It was business as usual last week in Jackson County at the Board of County Commissioners meeting despite allegations the county attorney was involved in a criminal conspiracy that victimized taxpayers.
Frank Baker, 61, who has served as the county attorney since the 1980s, attended the meeting, the commission’s first since Baker was indicted earlier this month. No one brought up the accusations against him, according to County Administrator Ted Lakey.
Baker, along with Terry Dubose and Elwood West, are accused of ripping off the federal government for nearly $4 million while they were in charge of two Panhandle banks that failed in 2010. The indictment was announced Aug. 7, and the three men pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance the next day.
Lakey said he’s under the impression after informal talks with commissioners that they want to wait and see how the case is resolved.
“I think they just feel it’s innocent until proven guilty,” Lakey said.
Commissioner Jeremy Branch made a brief statement on Baker’s indictment on Twitter in response to a reporter’s questions.
“Mr. Baker has provided wise council to Jackson County for decades,” he said. “He is innocent until proven guilty. … I’m sure Mr. Baker looks forward to his chance to defend himself.”
Baker is a member in good standing with the Florida Bar, which is monitoring his case, a spokeswoman for the bar said.
According to the indictment, the Coastal Community Investments, which controlled Coastal Community Bank in Panama City Beach and Bayside Savings Bank in Port St. Joe, put up the two banks as collateral on a $3 million loan in 2007. The loan was in default a year later when the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation created a program to make it easier for banks to borrow from other banks.
Baker, who was Coastal Community Investments’ largest shareholder, conspired with Dubose and West, Coastal’s chief executive and chief financial officers, respectively, to falsely represent their eligibility for a loan under the FDIC’s Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, the indictment said.
The bank secured a $3.75 million loan to repay the loan in default. The bank defaulted on the second loan in June 2010 and the banks failed the next month. The month after that, the FDIC paid a $3.8 million claim to the bank that issued the second loan.
Now Baker, West and Dubose are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of making false statements and a count of aiding and abetting a false claim against the United States. Lengthy prison sentences are possible if the men are convicted. The case is scheduled to go to trial in February.