OKLAHOMA CITY – An accountant has been indicted in federal district court here on 10 counts of bank fraud, 10 counts of uttering forged securities, and four counts of aggravated identity theft.
Ronald David Kirkpatrick II provided accounting services as a consultant for West Star Operating Co. in Norman from December 2015 until late October 2018. “Among other duties, he prepared checks, paid invoices, prepared tax returns, and managed the accounting system” for West Star, his indictment claims.
West Star owned an account at Bank of Oklahoma (BOK), and Kirkpatrick had multiple accounts at BOK, including one in the name of Seven Elephants LLC. Kirkpatrick planned to open a coffee shop and store called Seven Elephants LLC, the Seven Elephants Street Church for the Perpetual Sinner, and Seven Elephants Emporium, the indictment states.
It is alleged that Kirkpatrick prepared approximately 190 West Star checks drawn on the company’s BOK account, “almost all of which were payable to himself.” Kirkpatrick forged those checks – which totaled $831,372 – by writing the name of the West Star president on the signature line, the indictment alleges.
It is further alleged that Kirkpatrick changed the password to West Star’s BOK account online “so only he could access the account information on the internet,” and primarily deposited the forged checks into an account that he owned at BOK.
The July 7 indictment alleges that Kirkpatrick used the proceeds of the unauthorized checks for “personal purposes” that included vacations, car purchases, and buying inventory for Seven Elephants.
If convicted, Kirkpatrick could be sentenced to federal prison. In addition, the federal government has filed notice it intends to seek restitution of the $831,372 and forfeiture of any vehicles or any other property derived from his alleged scheme.