Prosecutors Think Bart Reagor Recordings Should Be Used as Evidence
On Thursday, September 30th, prosecutors explained why they thought that leaked recordings of Bart Reagor yelling at employees should be allowed as evidence against him.
Reagor, the former co-owner of the Reagor-Dykes Auto Group, faces charges of bank fraud and making a false statement to a bank. Earlier this week, Reagor admitted to transferring $1.7 million of a loan from IBC Bank into his own personal bank account, but said that this was a reimbursement for money he had put into the company back in 2017, and was therefore "wholly permissible."
The Reagor-Dykes Auto Group filed for bankruptcy in August of 2018 after a slew of fraud allegations hit the company. Since then, 15 former Reagor-Dykes employees have admitted to their role in the fraud scheme, including their Legal Compliance Director Steven Reinhart and CFO Shane Smith.
KAMC News reports that in the aforementioned recording from 2018, Reagor is heard saying things such as "When you don't have money, you talk other people into giving you their money to increase your net worth," and "Most of you have no comprehension of the s*** I've pulled off."
The defense for Bart Reagor has requested to exclude these recordings from evidence, as they have nothing to do with the current charges relating to his loan from IBC Bank.
Prosecutors, however, say that these recordings show Reagor's state of mind, willingness to break the law, and even prove a scheme to defraud. This evidence would be introduced with the intent to explain Reagor's motive.
Bart Reagor's trial will take place on October 12th.