Show-Me State Times

Former Williamson County State’s Attorney, Brandon Zanotti, was sentenced on Wednesday to two years of probation, a $5,000 fine and 20 hours of community service. The sentencing comes in the wake of his involvement in a scheme to sell seven commercial rental properties by falsifying loan and other bank documents.

Zanotti's law license suspension is currently under review by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. He pleaded guilty in March at the U.S. District Court in Benton to one felony count of aiding and abetting the making of a false bank entry.

In an April 6, 2022 meeting with a bank president and the buyer, Zanotti admitted that they all agreed to fraudulently make it appear as if the loan to buy properties in Williamson and Franklin counties was actually a refinancing. Documents were backdated to falsely indicate that the buyer purchased the properties on Feb. 1, 2022, for an inflated price of $545,152. The documents also falsely suggested that the bank was refinancing 80% of that loan, with buyers bringing 20% in cash to the sale. However, the actual sales price for the properties was $436,122 and no cash was brought by buyers to complete this transaction. Based on this false information, the bank’s loan committee approved their loan.

Zanotti resigned from his position as State’s Attorney later that year.

The case was investigated by both FBI Springfield Office and Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General. Special Attorney Hal Goldsmith from Eastern District of Missouri handled prosecution as U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern District of Illinois recused itself from this case.