By Sarah Schulz
sarah.schulz@theindependent.com

Scott Hobson, 52, now of Omaha, was also sentenced in U.S. District Court to five years of supervised release, which will follow his prison term, and to pay a $100 special assessment. He has 60 days before he must report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to begin his sentence.

As part of a plea agreement, Hobson pleaded guilty to bank fraud. He was originally charged in December 2006 with eight counts of fraud; four counts of making false entries in the Gibbon Exchange Bank's books, reports and statements; and one count of making a false statement to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

"Thirty months that isn't half as long as the six-year prison we've been in," said Sarah Fletcher, whose family was named in one of the indictment's original counts as victims of a false financial statement for collateral.

According to the indictment, Hobson entered into loan agreements and loaned money to inflate his own portfolio with the bank. When the loans weren't paid, he took money out of third parties' accounts, without their knowledge, and made payments on creditors' loans. He then falsified documents to cover up the transactions.

At his plea agreement hearing, Hobson acknowledged that between 2001 and 2004, when he was president and chief lending officer of the Gibbon Exchange Bank, he entered into loan agreements with clients he knew didn't have enough collateral to secure the loans.

Fletcher attended Thursday's sentencing with her parents, other victims and their attorney. Written victim impact statements from the Fletchers and John and Rosemary Richter, who were also listed as victims in the initial indictment, were given to the judge prior to the hearing. Those statements have now been sealed, she said.

"I think he should have gotten longer," Fletcher said of the sentence. "I'm disappointed. It's really hard. We've lost everything. I can't go home to my house."

The family lost their home, equipment and land due to Hobson's actions, Fletcher's family has said. Several of the other victims have joined in a civil lawsuit, which is pending in the Nebraska Court of Appeals.

Fletcher said the judge ordered Hobson to pay restitution to the Richters and to the Gibbon Exchange Bank. About $22,000 of the restitution will go to the Richters, and the rest must be paid to the bank, she said.

"He got 30 months, and our sentence is still day-to-day," Fletcher said.