Car dealer admits $1.6M bank fraud

FORT MYERS — Used car dealer Roger Eugene Hagood, 44, pleaded guilty to four counts of bank fraud, prosecutors announced.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office, Hagood wrote about $1.6 million in worthless checks when he operated Coral Palm Auto Sales in Fort Myers. Hagood wrote 13 checks knowing there were insufficient funds and an undisclosed financial institution lost money as a result, prosecutors say.

In March, prosecutors say Hagood tried to destroy evidence by throwing boxes of records in a dumpster near his home. Video surveillance caught him in the act and sheriff's deputies recovered the evidence, the U.S. Attorney's office says.

Hagood faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count.