By MATT CHANDLER
mchandler@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1654

A Williamsville attorney who was convicted of bank fraud was sentenced to prison Jan. 6 by U.S. District Court Judge William Skretny.

Robert Goods, 49, of Snyder, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $521,800 in restitution.

The mortgage settlement attorney was convicted of misusing money wired into his business account to pay off mortgages on properties that had been refinanced at SunTrust Bank. For example, in February, SunTrust Bank wired more than $423,000 into the defendant's business account to pay off a pre-existing mortgage, Rather than using the money for its intended purposes, Goods used it for other expenses. In another instance, in March, SunTrust Bank wired $128,000 into his business account to pay off a pre-existing mortgage, and Goods failed to use the money for its intended purpose. SunTrust Bank suffered losses of more than a half-million dollars.

The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Tracy Gast.